Eat You Alive
by Zelda Zonkk
Summary: "And I love you far, far more than you will ever be able to comprehend," he said. "I hope you will forgive me." And then, his fangs plunged into my skin and it was all dark after that. EricxOC.
1. The Devil's Playground

**Eat You Alive - Prologue – The Devil's Playground**

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"_Come ride with me, through the veins of history, I'll show you how God falls asleep on the job. And how can we win, when fools can be Kings?"_

**Knights of Cydonia, Muse. **

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I remember that I wanted to touch him, but the rain made my arms feel far too heavy. It felt like it was tickling me as it dripped down in little drops, making a trail filled with swirly patterns. I tried to trace them, my fingers feeling too cold and numb. Then he held my hand and wiped some of the rain away from my face.

A drop of blood landed on my cheek, as I realized that he was crying. I'd never seen him cry like this before, heart-breaking and soul-racking sobs, contorting his own beautifully pale face. A face did appear beside him, a tear rolling down their face too, only this tear wasn't so bloody. All these faces mixed together and blurred until I heard a ripping noise that made me jump and made him put a hand over my heart to calm me.

"Eric," a deep and strong voice murmured quietly, "…it's too late for that." That was Bill, wasn't it? Bill Crompton and Sookie Stackhouse…our friends. I also remember thinking that his hair looked like a halo because the rain that bounced against it made it look like that. Like mine, his hair stuck to his face.

Eric Northman – the love of my life.

When I felt him try to make me drink his healing blood, I realized that the ripping sound had been him biting his flesh open. Poor Eric was terribly desperate for me to survive – and I wanted to. I wanted to exist with him forever.

"Oh don't let her die!" Sookie sobbed. My head rolled towards her by itself. I don't feel much control over my body right now. It's just shutting itself down without my permission. Bill's arm went around her shoulder in a quick movement, one only a vampire could make.

Eric pushed my face towards him, forcing me to look into his blue eyes. He was searching for something, though I had no idea what. I giggled softly, too quiet for them to realize what it was. Why I was laughing, I don't know. Survival mechanism, perhaps. I was scared though, deep down in the pit of my tummy. It was twisting my numbing tummy into knots.

"God Eric," Sookie exclaimed angrily, making him look into space for a moment as he leaned over me protectively. "If you won't save her then let Bill do it!"

Eric had growled so suddenly and moved from his kneeling position, spinning around, standing tall above her. Bill was smart enough not to interfere, though he didn't move away from Sookie or let go of her. Instead, he ignored their little argument and stared firmly at me.

"She is mine," Eric growled deeply. "If he tries to do turn her, I'll snap his neck."

"So you'd rather she die and you're alone forever? Jeez Eric, I didn't think you were that stupid!" Sookie countered.

As they argued, Bill kneeled beside me and took my hand, bloody tears now freely flowing. "I don't know Em, you're always the one to stop them fighting. I don't think I can do it by myself," he laughed bitterly, his Southern accent becoming quite deep.

I smiled, my eyes looking dazed as if I were high on drugs. He smiled back.

'You'll…survive,' I thought simply. 'I won't though. I can't do anything without Eric, I'm far too dependent and in love with him.' The afterlife seemed scary. Vampires were immortal, and Eric would have all of eternity to live with this pain. I was getting out of it, wasn't I? I hated that thought. Leaving him. I hated it.

"Honestly Eric, you love her don't you?"

"More than anything I've ever known," he replied simply, his tone so serious and frustrated, like he knew he was giving up.

"Then you have to."

Bill was gone, standing beside Sookie before she had even finished her sentence. Eric did want to spend eternity with me, but he was reluctant to cause anymore pain. I think he was worried that when I woke up, I somehow wouldn't want to be with him anymore. Like that would happen!

Eric had taken his former spot, kneeling even closer. He moved some of the hair from my face, and with a sharp click, his fangs were out. He smiled a little, knowing I wasn't afraid of him at all. Whatever he did, I still loved him.

Even though he knew it frustrated me, he spoke in Swedish. I didn't usually like it when he spoke to someone else in Swedish while I was there, because it always felt like the topic was on me. And through that flurry of foreign words I didn't understand, I was always sure he said my name.

"Tyvärr, min kärlek."

I knew what he said, for he'd said it before. He had said, "Sorry, my love." I knew that he really was sorry, because Eric rarely said sorry for anything and the look of pure pain and annoyance in his eyes told me so. He gripped my hand as if readying himself.

"I love you," I said weakly, gripping his hand back.

"And I love you far, far more than you will ever be able to comprehend," he said sadly. "I hope you will forgive me."

He was already 'forgiven'. I found it increasingly difficult to stay mad at Eric. I was definitely not mad at him for this though – it meant I would be with him forever, wouldn't it?

I gave him a quick smile, though he couldn't bring himself to return it. The tears of blood kept rolling down his face, mixing with the rain and becoming messy.

He put his hand – which strangely felt warmer than it ever had before – on my jaw, moving my head to the side so that my neck was exposed. He paused, as if he was reconsidering this. I was silently begging him to do it, because the numbness was wearing off and the pain was blending in with it. It hurt, _everywhere_.

And then, his fangs plunged into my skin and it was all dark after that.


	2. Wait For You

**A/N: **_So, my first time doing a __**True Blood**__ story. It's probably gonna stay a little bit PG, simply because I haven't done a __**True Blood**__ story but we'll see :) I hope you guys like it and let me know what you think because this all begins at season one :)_

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**Eat You Alive – Chapter One – Wait For You**

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"_In the land of the killers, a sinners mind is a sanctum."_

**Sing for the Moment, Eminem.**

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I met him on a Sunday. Funnily enough, it was outside a church. Surprising, since he was a vampire. A group of religious people were walking out of it, and I saw him scrunch his face up a little – almost in disgust as the old ladies excitedly discussed bingo, and the old men walked behind, pipes in hand. The younger people walked out, modestly chatting to each other. So polite. It didn't impress him.

He held a large box of TruBlood in his arms, holding it away from him as if he didn't like that, either. It was pretty obvious he was a vampire. Though I was just as pale, you could just tell that he was. He held a certain power. Like he expected you to respect him already.

And everyone could see that he was absolutely beautiful.

I turned back to my car. I was about to put the keys in when I heard the sound of a box dropping and someone cursing in another language. Yes, it was him, and I hadn't failed to notice his eyes flitting towards me. He purposely dropped it to get my attention.

Of course I helped him, laughing a little as I bent down and starting picking up the non-smashed TruBlood bottles.

"Does this always work?" I asked, wiping a bit of the synthetic blood from my hands onto the pavement.

"Does _what_ always work?" he smirked playfully, picking up a bottle himself.

I smiled. "Accidentally dropping blood to get a girl's attention."

"Well darn, that worked last time. Maybe the girl wasn't as smart and beautiful as you are?" he reasoned. Cheesy. Very, very cheesy. But hey, sometimes that's cute.

"Probably not. They don't get as smart and beautiful as me these days."

The group of religious people openly gasped at the mere sight of us kneeling down in blood, trying to pick up any spare bottles rolling around. They tutted and he rolled his eyes.

"My name is Emilie. Emilie Robins," I murmured, checking under a car beside his in case a bottle had rolled under.

"Eric Northman," he grinned smoothly. Well, he was cocky and totally full of himself at least.

"You're buying a lot of TruBlood," I noted plainly.

"It's for my bar. Fangtasia. Heard of it?"

"Nope," I replied, putting all the bottles into the box and sealing it tightly.

"You should come sometime."

His hinting was obvious, but Eric didn't seem to really care if I knew he was flirting or not. He was leaning quite closely, too.

"Vampire bars," I breathed heavily, chuckling a little, "…are not really my thing."

"They could be, if you try."

"I'd need a date," I grinned, and he knew that I was messing with him. Yet he smirked happily and stood, taking the box with him. He smiled and outstretched a hand. I took it, noticing in the contrast in how cold he was and how warm I was. If he did notice it too, he didn't show it.

"I could find someone, I'm sure."

"At such short notice? I wouldn't want to put you out like that."

"It wouldn't be any trouble."

Pulling out a card from his pocket, he handed it to me and smiled again. I looked at it. It was black, with a pair of menacing fangs looking out at me. At the top, in pretty swirly red writing was the word, "Fangtasia." Underneath, it had the address and a phone number. And beneath that it said, "Come if you dare."

'I dare myself to go,' I thought. He was still smiling at me when I looked back up.

"Shall I be seeing you soon?"

"Mmm. Tonight, maybe," I shrugged, acting as if going to a vampire bar wasn't all that special or great. In truth, it would be the most terrifying thing ever. His smile never faltered.

"I'll see you there then, Miss Emilie."

"Yeah, yeah. Bye Eric."

* * *

When I was at home, loading my groceries into my fridge, I wondered if I had hit my head or something. A vampire bar? What was I thinking? True, I liked Eric a lot. Sookie would kill me if she knew I was going here but…then again, Sookie never had to know.

It was only eight. The card he had given me was now on my counter, the fangs glowing in the dim light. I hadn't realized they were glow in the dark fangs. The card said the bar opened a 9pm. If I got dressed quickly…

Yeah, I could make it easily. I raced throughout the house, hearing my phone ringing. I ran down the stairs, almost crashing into the fridge.

"Hello?"

"Hey Em!" Oh crap, it's Sookie. She can't read minds over the phone, can she?

"Hey Sook. What's up?"

Those simple words, "What's up?" were like permission for Sookie to babble incoherently. I could barely make it out but it was something like 'vampire' 'Bill' 'Merlotte's.' At least, I think that's what she was saying.

"Sookie, slow down!" I giggled. "What happened?"

She sighed contently. "Well I just had to tell you about Bill since no one else is this god damn redneck town cares! He's real sweet Em."

"You met a vampire too?"

"You met one?" she gasped excitedly. "What's his name?"

"Eric," I smiled. "Eric Northman."

Sookie squealed. For the next twenty minutes, she talked non-stop about Bill whereas I got to fit in a few seconds of Eric. When she was about to hang up, her sweet Gran wished me a good night. I hoped it would be.

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Black, everywhere, with flashes of strobe lights and some red. Fangtasia was scrawled across. A woman with blonde hair, lit up by the flashing lights outside of the bar took one look at me in my floral short dress and smirked.

"You must be Emilie Robins, right?" she purred.

"How did you…"

"He's sitting near the back. Just keep going straight, you'll see him."

The crowds within it were pulsating, jumping up and down. The music vibrated through the ground, and some vampires looked towards me in approval. It was scary, seeing so much TruBlood everywhere, and the scary guy serving it. Then there were the dancers, all wearing tight black leather.

Throughout the crowd, it was like I could sense him. His presence, his authority. He sat in something of a throne, eyes roaming until they landed on me. He stood, his blond hair blocking his eyes now.

As I was about to take a step forward, a man blocked my way. He had spiky black hair and darker eyes than Eric. He was grinning, his fangs out. I took a step back immediately, a little wary. Fangs out already. That wasn't a good sign.

"Hi there," he said calmly, trying to be warm and friendly. He was failing terribly. "I'm Alex."

"Uhm, hello. I'm Emilie."

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around before."

"No actually," I smiled. "Eric invited me."

Alex's jaw dropped. "Eric? As in Northman?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked, a tight feeling in my tummy.

"Look, I don't want to scare you or nothin'," Alex smirked, getting a little too close. "But maybe it'd be better if we ditched this place, you know? Hang out at mine maybe?"

"That isn't necessary," a cool voice interrupted. Alex seemed a little paler than he had been before. "She's with me, Alex."

Alex turned. "I was just-…"

In an instant, he was across the room, crashing into a table where two vampires sat with a human in between them, grinning and rubbing a human's hair affectionately – kind of like vultures. I gasped, thinking Alex would be terribly hurt. Glasses had smashed to the floor around him, and after a few awkward minutes of every vampire and human here staring over at us, they all went back to whatever they'd been doing.

"Welcome to Fangtasia, Emilie," Eric smiled.


	3. Dang It

**A/N: **_I might have to update quickly, because I have no idea if I will be able to keep updating so fast in a few weeks! I didn't expect so many favourite stories and alerts so quickly! So I just hope you guys don't mind :) Enjoy and let me know what you think :D_

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**Chapter Two – Dang It  
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"_All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."_  
**- T. E. Lawrence**

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**The first time I ever feared a vampire was when I was ten, and attending the 'Sunny Side Up' Summer Camp with Sookie Stackhouse. It was Sue Waters' turn to tell a scary story and she choose a strange topic – vampires. Though it wasn't as scary simply because she used ketchup for blood, it didn't really make a difference because I was only ten.

Sookie fearfully clutched at a blanket her Gran had made her. I had a t-shirt of Johnny's in my hand, and I knew that I was the only friend Sookie had around here, so I used my other hand to hold her sweaty hand. She was terrified. I knew Sookie could read minds, even then at such a young age, so I'm sure she could've just read Sue's mind to see she was making it all up.

Though Sook always tried to stay out of people's minds, it wasn't always easy.

Sue had lightly tanned skin, with bright wide brown eyes and brown ringlets. She was a tomboy, and I had no idea how she was meant to explain the 'blood' – ketchup - to our camp 'carer' Max. She leaned forward dramatically, making Sookie squeal fearfully.

Nearly every girl here had a problem with Sookie, mainly 'cause their mothers and fathers told them to stay away from her. I was the one to mop her up when the girls made fun of her or pushed her around, because God knows Jason wouldn't tear himself away from Johnny and his buddies to help her. Yes, he was a sweet guy really, but his reputation was a little bit important to him.

When she lunged forward, saying that the vampire had come to the camp looking for blood, I wished that I wasn't a scaredy-cat. I wished that I didn't believe her. Johnny's t-shirt that still smelled of him didn't really make a difference, I was still terrified. He was only across the camp, probably making up fart jokes with Jason or Kane really. Being the idiotic, loving older brother that he was.

"This girl came to this camp and fell in love with the vampire," Sue drawled on, her Southern accent suddenly becoming quite dark and mysterious. "They met in a field late at night 'cause she didn't want her friends knowin' 'bout him! And he…drank her_ blood_!"

She relished in the squeals from the girls, happy that her story had scared them. The satisfied, smug smile told us so. Though Sue's story wasn't the most original or scary, and her accent too strong to believe sometimes, it did actually put some fear into me. Fear of vampires, actually. You can imagine how these memories and fears resurfaced when vampires 'came out of the coffin', so to speak.

"Now she wanders the camp, makin' sure no girls ever fall in love with that very vampire…"

I hear Sue's life went downhill after college. Drugs, alcohol, a few dodgy relationships here and there. I also hear she's a crack-addict, but I really don't know about that. All I know is she lives in a trailer with her two kids and her husband Rick out near the woods.

So sitting here in Fangtasia, I really wondered if I was mental. Johnny would totally kick my ass if he knew where I was.

Johnny was a lot like Jason – a funny smartass. He's good-looking – which he clearly gets from me – though the only thing I don't like is how he refuses to let me know about our family.

"They ain't worth talkin' or knowin' about Em," is all he says.

I was far too young to remember the care homes, but I vaguely remember staying with Sookie's Gran for a long time. Johnny liked it there. Jason was a lot like a little brother for him. To say my brother is protective is an under-statement.

A woman walks up to Eric, nervously clutching a notepad and a pen with "Fangtasia – bite me" written in the same pretty swirly writing that had been on the card Eric had given me.

Her dark hair was red, reflecting the strobe lights and she was sweating – that much was obviously. Nervously, she held out the notepad to Eric and asked him to sign it. He glanced at me, almost checking my expression. I'm sure it was a little shocked, and kind of creeped out. She wanted…an autograph?

Was Eric some sort of vampire king? What the Hell did she want an autograph for?

The candles that surrounded him gave him an eerie, majestic look that's for sure. The girl paused, waiting for an answer. Eric smiled.

"Sure, I can do that."

He took the pad from her trembling hands and scribbled his name across it. He ripped out the paper and gave her the notepad back. She looked confused, wondering why he wasn't giving her the paper too. His grin turned malicious, and he put the paper over the flames of the candle beside him, his eyes never leaving hers.

My jaw dropped as it burned into ash, and I saw the depressed look in her eyes. My blood boiled. She had sadly turned, knowing he wouldn't do anything to comfort her.

"Eric!" I yelped. His head snapped towards me, and looked me up and down quickly. It almost looked as if he was assessing me, trying to find a source of pain or something, like there was a threat he needed to deal with. He was a little surprised to find there was none. "Apologize. Now."

He snorted, and I stood up, grabbing the girl's shoulder and spinning her around to face me. Her eyes widened fearfully, like she thought I was a vampire about to kill her. When she realized I was human, she calmed a little, but she still assumed I had the ability to kill her.

"He'll sign it."

"Sit down, Emilie. I am not going to apologize. Autographs aren't permitted."

"I don't care if they're permitted or not. You invited me, that makes me your guest, and you have to be polite to the guest."

He watched me carefully. Assessing me yet again. Then he smiled. "I won't say sorry…"

I frowned.

"But I'll sign one."

I grinned, and the girl perked up immediately. Though I can understand people would be star struck by Eric – seriously, just _look_ at the guy – I couldn't understand why she cared about his autograph. Eric was naturally charming though.

The look on her face when he gave her the paper made my day. She happily went off and narrowly dodged a few leering vampires. She didn't really seem like the type to be in here – then again, neither did I. I felt strange, in a floral dress, while everyone else was wearing tight leather. Even Eric fitted in, with a tight leather jacket, some boots, dark jeans and a grey t-shirt.

"That was brave of you," he noted.

"You were being a little rude. I stood up for her, that's all."

"She's a regular. She's been working up the courage to come near me for a week. Each day she grabbed a table that was closer to me and stared."

_Pang! _That was the first time I felt jealous. Why I would feel it so suddenly, I'm not sure, but the idea of a woman throwing herself at him made me feel it. I didn't like it. Jealousy was a horrible feeling sometimes.

"Still, I thought she was nice."

"I didn't think she was quite as delectable as you though."

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Eric was a gentleman, actually. He decided to drive me home, saying he'd just drop my car off himself when he got back to Fangtasia. I noticed the looks he gave certain vamps as we left the bar. It was like a 'don't even try it' sort of look.

The car ride wasn't too bad. He played some pretty weird music, laughing when I asked what it was. He didn't answer, only sped up. I found myself clutching the seats at one point.

Sue's story vaguely popped into my mind as he turned a corner, heading towards the woods. My house was just outside it. Luckily for me, Johnny was on the front porch when we rolled up.

Eric opened my door for me, a smile on his face as his eyes landed on Johnny, who stood and frowned back.

"Oh…no," I muttered. "Dang it."

"Would you like me to stay?" Eric asked beside me.

"Nah. I'm not really sure if Johnny has his shotgun loaded."

"Being shot by your brother, hm? That would make an awkward first impression."

Before I could come up with a response, he had kissed my temple and gotten into the car. The only look in Johnny's eyes told me exactly what he thought. 'Traitor', 'liar', 'fangbanger'. But he still had that soft look in his eyes, the 'you're my little sister and I love you' look that gave me a familiar feeling of guilt. This would take a lot of explaining.


	4. Hank

**A/N: **_New chapter ^_^ Yay! :D_

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**Chapter Four – Hank**

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"_Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."_  
**- Jessamyn West**

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Hank Roberts is ancient. As in like, _ancient,_ ancient. His back is so bent, he looks like the Hunchback of Notre Dame's twin really. His eyes had a lot of bags under them, grey and faded. He jumped when Johnny slammed a huge box of beer on the counter.

"J-Johnny," he exclaimed.

Johnny pulled out his wallet angrily, flipping through some notes before putting them on the counter, banging it loudly. A few women who were chatting at the back of the store stared over, instantly wondering what was wrong with my brother.

I stood behind him, unsure. Hank was actually a very sweet guy who never caused trouble. Though sometimes he liked to talk about when he was a 'young lad' running around with his pals. Johnny's eyes never met mine. Hank started tapping away at the even older cash register.

Johnny glanced at him. "You know Hank, I'm sure Kane has some old cash registers lyin' around."

Hank let out a dry chuckle. "I ain't buyin' nuttin' off-a Kane. That boy is bad news."

"Whatever," Johnny laughed. "Stick with that piece of junk."

Johnny had been acting like this all day. He slammed doors if I was in the room, or ignored me, or refused to acknowledge he even had a sister. It's been two days since I saw Eric, and it's been torture. Johnny glanced back at me, and I smiled quietly when I saw him reach out to grab my favourite chocolate bar. He threw it on top of the beers, but said nothing to me.

He still loves me. Great!

Hank finally got the machine working, having to yell at it for a while before Johnny reached over and gave it a punch with his fist. It fell wide open.

I can understand why Hank wouldn't want to buy anything from Kane. Kane is a lot like the Artful Dodger, always trying to make 'bargains' and get enough cash for a fun night out, I guess. He and Johnny have been friends for a long time. Kane was a smart-ass, but he was pretty cute too.

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Johnny didn't yell that night, or the next. He was just…silent. He made dinner without complaint, washed the dishes when we normally argue over who has to do it, and went about his business. We sat watching TV on the fourth night of his silent treatment, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "You could've told me."

I blinked. "What?"

I was just kind of shocked to hear him _speak._

"About that…_vampire_."

"Eric."

"Yeah. Him."

"I thought you'd be mad."

He didn't look away from the screen. "I wouldn't."

"Don't lie Johnny! Of course you would. All your buddies hate vampires too."

"Well I can see why now, when they take your little sister out to God knows where!" he barked, facing me. The TV made his face light up, in a blue-ish glow. Ironically, we were watching a movie about vampires. It had made things a little awkward, I guess.

"If you met him you wouldn't feel that way," I sighed.

"Oh I think I would Em," he growled softly. "That guy didn't look right to me. He'll just cause trouble. All vamps do."

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, Johnny was talking to someone in the kitchen. Looks like Kane is here. He sat on our counter, eating some bacon. He grinned at me.

"Look who's here! It's the almighty Fangbanger."

I rolled my eyes and Johnny thumped him on the arm.

"Jeez, ouch. Chill out man. I'm just screwin' with her. No really Em, I'm happy for you. I think I'm a better choice if I'm honest but hey, at least you're happy."

"Stop being so cocky."

He laughed and winked. "Impossible sweetheart."

Unfortunately, Kane spent the rest of the day making wise crack jokes like these. He ate our food, watched films with Johnny and started a food fight at dinner. Needless to say, I was the one to clean it up when they went out to the bar later that night.

A quick knock on the door made me sigh and growl at the same time. If it's Sookie, she might help me with this. Sookie likes to clean whenever she's in a bad mood, so it kind of depends on how she's feeling.

Instead of the giggly Sookie Stackhouse, I got a vampire.

"Eric," I exclaimed blankly.

"Wow, nice to see you too," he grinned. "Is your brother in?"

"N-No."

"Free house. Nice," he chuckled.

I motioned for him to come in, but he remained standing there, just watching me. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

"You have to invite me in."

I laughed. "What?"

"Invite me. Just do it," he sighed.

"Oh this is gonna be fun. I, Emilie Robins, invite thee, Eric Northman, to enter my home!"

He rolled his eyes. "A little dramatic."

"I find it dramatic that I need to invite you."

"It's just a vampire thing, we need you to invite us in otherwise we can't enter."

Eric strolled into our sitting room, picking up some DVDs on the coffee table and grinning, his fangs out suddenly.

He looked over at me, still grinning. "Feel like going to Fangtasia?"

Trying not to show the slightest bit of fear, I smiled and said, "Of course."


	5. Blood

**A/N: **_Phew, I need to get this finished before I don't have time to write anymore :D Well. New chapter. As always, let me know what you think._

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**Sluggysmom – **_Thanks Sluggysmom! :D _**kykyxstandler – **_Oh yay! ^_^ haha, thanks. _**Mixmatched9 – **_I'm really glad you love it :D thanks! :D_

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**Chapter Five – Blood**

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"_A faith is a necessity to a man. Woe to him who believes in nothing."__  
_**- Victor Hugo**

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The moment we entered, Eric's arm was around my waist and his fangs were out, glistening in the light. A lot of female attention was thrown his way, but he didn't even glance in their direction. Pam appeared, her eyes rimmed with coal-black eyeliner and her lips pouty with blood red lipstick. _Perhaps that was real blood_, I wondered. She put a hand on her hip, smiling smugly. Her outfit almost matched the dancers, tight and black.

"I'll be right back," Eric smirked, once again kissing the side of my forehead before vanishing at vampire speed in Pam's direction.

When left alone, I wasn't sure what to do in Fangtasia. A group of rather nervous looking humans stood idly by, watching me in fascination. I shifted, feeling nervous myself, and decided to take a seat at the only empty table. A TruBlood bottle sat on the table, still half full. I sniffed it, retching at the metallic smell.

"Alone, are we?"

I sighed to myself. The vampire talking to me had a smile on his face, and I knew he wasn't as attractive as Eric. Though he was good-looking, he just wasn't nearly as God-like as Eric was. His dark hair was messy and gelled up, and he held some TruBlood in his hand. Like nearly everyone else, he wore leather. _Lots _of leather.

"Nope."

"With a boyfriend?"

"You could say that."

If I'm honest, I was thinking of Eric in a different light. As cheesy as it sounds, it felt…_right_, with him. Like a soul mate.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Yes.

"No," I smiled warmly. I don't want to be rude. Plus, Eric will be 'right back', won't he? Although everything Johnny said about vampires was pulsating through my brain as this guy took a seat.

"I'm Will."

Will was bad news. I could just feel it, sense it. Call it a gut feeling, whatever you want to call it, I just knew it. Keeping a straight and composed face, I smiled back at him.

"Emilie."

"Beautiful name," Will smiled. His accent wasn't Southern. I wasn't even sure what it was. "Lot like you."

Hm, if that was his idea of a pick-up line, it wasn't working. He knew that he was attractive, and flaunted it a lot. Whenever a woman walked past and looked at him, almost drooling, he basked in it. I wasn't going to do the same – Eric was one billion times better than he could ever hope to be.

"Oh gee thanks."

He wasn't put off just yet. Instead, his smile grew wider. "Well, I'll see you around Emilie."

"Yeah. Bye."

Hopefully I'll never see him – ever again. He hadn't actually _done _anything to make me act like this, it was just the vibe I got from him. Didn't like that vibe one bit. He vanished at the same speed Eric appeared in. Vampire speed.

* * *

Only three hours 'til sunrise. Eric stood from his throne after downing four bottles of TruBlood, and grinned at me, the synthetic blood covering his teeth. Eric had taken my phone from me. He put in his own number and messed around with mine for a while, taking random pictures and laughing with me for hours. It was blissful, spending all that time just talking and laughing. He glanced at his TruBlood bottle again, swishing the last few drops of it around in the bottle.

"What does that taste like?" I asked quietly.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his light blue eyes glistening. "It tastes horrible. Nowhere near as good as the real thing does. But I haven't taken real blood from a human since I met you. It would feel weird, actually."

"Uh…thanks?"

He grinned again, extending his hand to me. I took it, standing with him.

"I'm gonna have to drop you home now Em. I believe your brother should be home in two hours, as per usual?"

I didn't question how he knew that. I just nodded. An idea popped into my mind. Sookie had texted me yesterday, talking about Bill and a few other things. She had the night shift at Merlottes, having to clean up and close everything for Sam.

"Drop me off at Merlottes instead," I smiled.

"Sam Merlottes' bar? Anything for you, I suppose."

More weird music in the drive to Merlottes, weird chanting and strange wails. Eric somehow enjoyed it, and I must admit I was getting used to it. When we arrived, Eric opened my car door and grinned. I got out, grumbling about stupid vampire speed and how I could do it myself.

"Only being polite," he laughed, leaning in dangerously close. I found myself wishing for him to close that gap, but he just grinned, gave a quick peck and laughing again at my expression. "Don't worry, my love, I'll be seeing you very soon."

That sounds too far away for my liking.

I entered Merlottes, seeing Lafayette dancing to an old tune on the radio, bopping from side to side and swaying his hips. A man who I can only assume was Bill Compton walked into the bar, and his jaw fell open at the sight. Sookie was at this side, holding a tray of dirty dishes. She took one look at Bill's face and roared with laughter.

"Bill, you act like you ain't ever seen anyone dance before," she smiled, giddy as always.

"Not like that," he muttered. Sookie rolled her eyes, still smiling. You should've seen her face when she spotted me. She broke out into a huge grin, almost throwing the tray at Bill who narrowly caught it and gently put it on the counter behind him.

"Emilie!" Sookie yelled.

"Hey Sook," I smiled back, preparing myself for when she'd tackle me and smoother me in hugs. She hugged like her Gran did, warm and inviting. I wasn't as tanned as Sookie, and my hair was a much darker brown. Bill strolled up to us, and Lafayette stopped dancing.

"Wow-wee, look what we got here. You didn't bring yo' brother up in here, did ya Emmy?" Lafayette grinned.

I gave a pretend shudder. "Nah. He's gone out God knows where with Kane."

"Mmm-hmm, those boys are a _scrumptious _pair," he grinned, winking at me and fanning himself dramatically. "Johnny-boy has one _fine_ ass and-…"

"Ew, Lafayette. That's my brother."

"Put in a good word for me, won't you darlin'?" Lafayette laughed, grabbing a tea-towel from his pocket and heading towards the kitchen, swaggering and shaking his ass from side to side.

"Will do. Don't I always?" I giggled. Johnny didn't find it funny though, because he was far too attracted to the idea of dating random women.

When he left, Sookie took my hand and led me towards Bill, still smiling. "Em, this is Bill. Bill, this is Emilie."

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am," Bill smiled. He took a deep, un-needed breath before his gaze got a little more serious. "I see you've already met Eric Northman."

"Uh, yeah."

Thank God Sookie was there to keep the conversation running smoothly. By the time Bill had to leave, after an hour of us sitting around chatting, I considered him a good friend. He was actually quite funny. Sookie was certainly smitten, that was for sure.

* * *

When she dropped me off home, Johnny still wasn't back. Only two hours left 'til sunrise. I had spent an hour at Merlottes, and I didn't even feel tired. There was a sharp knock on my door. My first thought was that Johnny had forgotten his keys and I'd find him and Kane on our porch, drunk as Hell. Sookie had just left, so maybe it was her.

Unfortunately, it was neither. It was Will. I'd rather have my drunken brother and his equally drunken best friend stumbling everywhere and knocking things over than him.

"Hi there, Emilie."

With a sudden click and a husky hiss, his fangs were showing. I actually squeaked, jumping backwards, making Will smiled venomously.

_Don't panic. He can't come in without an invite. And he's definitely not getting one of those._

"Now you either invite me in, or I'll find your brother myself. That certainly won't be pretty, will it?"

I don't know how Will knew about Johnny. I wasn't going to doubt his threat though.

I fumbled with the pockets of my long dark blue jacket, finding my phone. Shaking, I slammed the door, locked it and slid against it. Will thumped on it, but at least I knew he wasn't going anywhere. Perhaps he didn't know Johnny's scent, or what he looked like. Or he could find Johnny easily without needing any of those things...

I found Eric's contact on the phone, seeing he added smiley-faces and put himself on speed dial. I was thankful for that at least, it made me smile for one sweet second.

It took three 'beeps' for him to answer with a seductive, "Hello Emilie. You miss me already?"

"Eric, there's a vampire outside. His name is Will. He says that he'll kill Johnny if I don't let him in. What do I do?" I babbled, stumbling over my words. I felt like an idiot, but then again I'd never dealt with vampires like Will before.

Eric was silent for a moment, but when he did speak his voice actually scared me. I heard Pam's voice in the background, asking what was wrong. I could even hear the slightest bit of uncertainty in her voice, as if she'd never seen Eric mad before.

"Stay where you are. I love you Emilie, just stay there."

"But Eric, the sun-…"

"I said, stay there. I'll be right there."


	6. Fights

**A/N: **_Thanks for all the reviews, story alerts, etc. =] I'm just glad so many people like it :) I hope you enjoy this one too. Let me know what you think… ;D _

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**Chapter Six – Fights**

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"_The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.__"_  
**- Buddha**

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As I lay against the door, phone held so tightly in my hand it hurt, I could hear him curse and threaten me. I only prayed that Eric would be here soon and that Johnny wouldn't turn up while Will was still outside. Tears rolled down my cheeks, my heart thumping a million beats per second. What if he _did _manage to get in? Somehow?

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. There was no sound, no threats, no nothing. Just silence. Shakily, I stood, turning to face the door. There were nets over the door, to stop any bugs that might try to enter during the warm summer days. Perhaps he was testing me…seeing if I'd open the door.

I outstretched a shaky hand, reaching for the doorknob and praying he wasn't outside waiting, fangs bared…

A shadow appeared through the nets, slamming into the door so suddenly that I shrieked and jumped backwards, dropping my phone and smashing the back of it. The figure crashed to the ground as I realized it had been Will. I stayed like that, hand on heart, almost in tears again.

"Em? Emilie, it's me Eric, open the door. I promise Will isn't going to do anything," Eric demanded from the other side, his voice booming loudly. Was that…fear, in the almighty Eric Northman's voice?

I opened it quickly, and he ran in at vampire speed, sniffing the house. When he was satisfied there were no other people he began hugging and kissing me, happy.

"You scared me there."

"Will..." I murmured shaking, my voice cracking.

"I can deal with him. Maybe I shall involve the Magister. I had claimed you. He ignored that to his own demise. Pam will help me," he said happily. "I'm just rather happy you're alive."

Eric suddenly looked up, and I followed his gaze. It was getting brighter.

"I must go, Emilie. Don't worry about Will."

"But what will happen to him-…" I began, but Eric had left before I even got to finish my sentence. Damn vampires. And who the Hell is the 'Magister'?

* * *

Jason Stackhouse was as flirty as they got. Well, almost as bad as Johnny and Kane. I saw him the next day, when I went to drop off Johnny's lunch where they were doing their work. Johnny had a hangover, of course, and was rather grumpy. Thankfully he didn't notice the slight mark on the door from where Will had hit it, that wasn't extremely noticeable…I hoped.

"Emilie, how are you?" he winked.

"Fine Jay, just fine. How about you?"

His smile was dazzling. Honestly, that boy had such charm sometimes. Too bad Eric got there first.

"Ugh, thanks Emilie," Johnny hissed, rubbing his head.

"I told you," Rene said from the truck. "Stop going out with Kane on work nights."

"It was an accident Rene," Johnny protested. Hoyt appeared, looming above me.

"Hi there Emilie," he said shyly, blushing and grinning. God I loved Hoyt, he was so cute and innocent. His mother had a terrible grip on him though, made him a little bit of a reluctant momma's-boy.

"Hey Hoyt! How's your mom?"

"Oh she's fine. She doesn't stop hollerin' at me though."

"Tell her I said hi anyway," I shrugged. His mom liked us, I think. She was a little nosey though. "Hey Johnny, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Everyone looked at him then as he nursed a warm flask of coffee trying to soothe his hangover. It usually helped him. Kane was probably passed out somewhere in a ditch for all we knew. Or lying on our couch in our house. He's lucky I think of him as a brother, that boy.

Johnny groaned. "I ain't gonna like this one bit, am I?"

"Depends."

He followed me anyway, until we had gotten away from the other guys.

"Listen, Johnny, I'm going to Fangtasia tonight and….I needed to just tell you in case you throw a hissy fit."

Oops. I meant to make it funny, but he frowned.

"Hissy fit? Oh why would I do that now Emilie? 'Cause I don't want some weirdo sucking on my baby sister's blood?"

"Eric wouldn't let that happen," I sighed, trying to make him see it from my point of view, even if I could see his point. There'd always been stories in the news of people going missing and never returning, usually going with vampires.

I trusted Eric though – and Johnny would too if he tried.

"I…I can't stop you, can I?" he asked defeated. I shrugged. "Fine, fine. Just promise to call me Emilie, if you need me okay?"

"Of course!" I smiled.

* * *

Fangtasia was like it always was. Leathery and pulsating. Someone offered me a drink, and I declined. It didn't take long to find Eric, sitting in his throne. I took a seat with him and Pam glided up to us.

I scanned the crowd as she spoke to him in Swedish. Then I saw a familiar face, sitting by a table. I squealed in delight, ignoring the smile on Pam's face at how 'peppy' I was in comparison to some of the humans here who were sweating their fear yet were still desperate to be bitten.

It was Sookie! And Bill!

Eric followed my gaze and smirked. "Bill," he murmured.

"Call them over," I smiled. Pam chuckled darkly when Eric did so.

"She's got you whipped Eric," she purred, laughing.

Bill stood in front of us, and Sookie sat with me. She handed Eric pictures of Maudette and Dawn. They had…died? I hadn't heard of this. I sat, frowning. Jealously had struck again when Eric admitted to sleeping with Dawn weeks before she had died. I can't help it. I just got jealous, and I think he knew because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. I saw the look in Bill's eyes. He wasn't certain of Eric, that was for sure.

Sookie suddenly gasped and looked around. She was babbling about a police officer and someone being bitten in the bathrooms. I believed her completely, knowing the extent of her powers. Bill looked at me, and I nodded knowingly. He nodded back, just before a police raid.

It was so quick then, in a flash I was in a pair of arms with Pam beside us, running. People yelled, ran, dropped their drinks and screamed as police swarmed the place.

"Well," Eric chuckled deeply. "That was dramatic."

"You think?"


	7. The Heroes And Their Sins

**A/N: **_Updation! Woop! I hope you like it…_

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**Chapter Seven – The Heroes And Their Sins**

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"_A mistake is simply another way of doing things.__"_  
**- Katharine Graham**

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Sookie's Gran is by far the cutest woman ever. The moment I opened the door to her house with Johnny, not bothering to knock since Sookie would just give out to me for doing it, she rushed over to me and was grinning from ear to ear. She yelled for Jason to join us, and he begrudgingly rolled off the couch. No shirt. Nice. True, Eric is much hotter, but it's nice to have some eye-candy while enjoying a scrumptious breakfast, isn't it? That makes me laugh, knowing how jealous Eric can get.

Sookie wasn't as happy as her Gran though. Something about a fight with Bill, I don't know. Jason was planning to go to Lafayette's later, mumbling something incoherent. He did talk to Johnny about some game that was on last night though. He seemed rather off this morning, or maybe it's just me. I was surprised Tara wasn't here. Imagine her face if she saw him without his shirt on. She'd pass out before Gran could even ask if she wanted syrup with her pancakes.

Everyone knows she loves him. Except _him_, of course.

"Would you and Johnny like to attend the Descendant's of the Glorious' Dead's meeting Emilie?"

"Why we'd love to," I grinned.

"Our pleasure, Gran," Johnny smiled. Everyone in Bon Temps would melt at my brother's smile – Gran especially. It was so cute and boyish. I had lost many arguments to that fight when we were younger. I still do. I grabbed the last piece of bacon.

"Hey that's my piece," Jason growled.

"You snooze you lose, loser," I snorted. He pretended to be mad, but who could resist my charms? I saw the lazy grin on his face as he stood up to go have a shower.

"You're just lucky you have that boyfriend of yours Em, otherwise I'd have to kick your ass for stealin' my bacon."

"Oh get lost Jace, you couldn't kick your way out of a paper bag, and that's coming from experience."

He grimaced. "That was one time."

"And it was one of the best times of my life. I've you to thank for that, brother."

"Hey, even if we were siblings, I'd be the older, cooler brother. I'm a better brother than Johnny."

"Don't bad mouth the greatest brother alive when he's sitting right at this table," I giggled, taking a bite of the bacon.

"You have to admit it Jace, I'm the coolest guy ever," Johnny grinned lazily, stretching. Gran was smiling at us like we really were brother and sister.

And I suppose, in a way, we were. Hell, we'd grown up in Gran's house. I'd shared baths with Jason for crying out loud! He would always hold me under the water, and make me say 'uncle'. The idiot didn't realize I wasn't being 'stubborn' by not saying it, I just couldn't say it with bubbles and water in my mouth. I punched him so hard one time I think he still has the scar.

Yup, I can see it now as he turns to pour the last of his now empty coffee mug down the sink. Lower back, to the right. Score one for Emilie! As he walks past me, he pulls on my plaited hair and I wince.

"Gran!"

"Jason," she says in a warning tone.

"You little rat Emilie," he laughs, jumping up the stairs two steps at a time. He's just mad because I can get out of a paper bag whenever I want.

* * *

After Bill's D.O.G.D meeting, I spent some time with him. Drinking TruBlood and just talking in general. He was kind of depressed. Sookie going with Sam to have some coffee was putting a downer on his night I guess. There had been a sad moment when Bill was given a picture of his old family, and that came up in the chat too. Awkward topic.

The three dumbest rednecks you will ever meet were eyeing me up, thinking it was funny to rub garlic onto their skin as I walked passed them to go to the toilet. Bill turned on the 'scary vampire' thing and said in a scary Southern accent, "Now boys. I don't think you should be so rude to the nice lady."

The look on their faces was priceless. Though Chuck was stupid enough to say, "How's the boyfriend?" to me. So I grinned happily and said, "Oh great. Yeah, it's funny, he was just on his way over. He's a little hungry though, he ran out of TruBlood. I'm sure you wouldn't mind donating though, right?" Chuck's face was _deathly_ pale before I'd even finished.

I joined Bill, fixing my yellow dress. It was borrowed, from Sookie. She had tonnes of these, and it went nicely with my curled wavy hair. I grinned at Chuck as he walked past, tapping my canine teeth and frowning, then pointing at my watch and shrugging. I mouthed, "he should be here soon" at him, and he bolted quickly, trying to get as far away as possible.

Gran walked up to Bill and I, smiling so brightly. "I'm glad to see you're still up to mischief Emilie. Do you remember the time you poured ketchup all over poor Jason because he stole your tricycle?"

"It was _mine_!" I whined, as she giggled. "Why did he want it anyway, it was pink! He had a perfectly good red one outside. He's just jealous 'cause mine has darker pink tassels on the bars and dark pink butterflies on the side."

"Hey Em! Wanna get in a picture with Bill?" Hoyt's mother asked excitedly. I grinned.

"Anything for you I suppose," I said happily.

Grinning at the camera, I did an exaggerated pose, showing my 'fangs' and crouched. Bill laughed and copied my expression.

"Come on then Bill, pop out the fangs," I giggled. He did as I asked, making Hoyt's mother squeal a little in fear, but she smiled again and clicked the flash button. "Here's to hoping you won't vanish in the picture. Then I'd just look weird by myself," I winked, knowing full well vampires don't vanish in pictures.

"Oh Em you looked beautiful!" Hoyt's mom smiled. "I'll give you both a copy, if you want it."

"Yeah, my scrapbook is a little empty," I smiled, rolling my eyes.

She sighed contently as Hoyt himself walked over sheepishly. "You would be such a good wife for my boy. Just look at your skin tone and eyes. My grandbabies complexion would be wonderful, hoping he ain't as sheepish as my boy here!"

Hoyt shrugged and stood away from her. "Stop it ma, you're embarrassing me." His mother sighed and walked away.

I giggled. Honestly, Hoyt was adorable. My phone vibrated with a text.

'_Outside. Feel like dinner? x'_ from Eric, of course.

"Well, I'll be going now. Have fun Bill. Bye Hoyt," I laughed.

"Bye Emilie," they said at the same time. Gran gave me an extra big hug and kiss, making sure I had my jacket on tightly in case I got a cold.

"You keep an eye on Sookie for me," she smiled.

"I will Gran, see you later!" I didn't think much of it, actually.

* * *

Waitresses are such _tramps_ these days. Not counting Sookie, of course. The smiles she gave Eric were sickening, honestly I-…Oh no, there it is again. The jealousy that bubbles to the surface sometimes. Eric had his hand on the small of my back, guiding me safely through the crowds.

I noticed Eric's gaze lingering on the silver cutlery on a woman's table. Apparently the waitress noticed too.

"Oh don't worry sir, this is a vampire-friendly restaurant. The cutlery is safe."

"A Negative," Eric ordered when we were seated.

"Just some pizza," I smiled politely. The tramp barely even glanced at me, instead drooling over at Eric as she nodded vigorously. Fortunately for her, I can't read her mind like Sookie can, otherwise I'd freak out. I can't blame her though. He looked great, wearing black jeans and boots, with a black shirt and leather jacket. He took it off and stayed silent.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You liar," I sniggered. "You are literally the worst liar I've ever seen in my life. And I've had Jason _Stackhouse_ lying to me before."

He smirked and leaned in dangerously close, the single candle on the table illuminating his face. I leaned forward too, our noses almost touching. It was almost like he was a magnet, and he knew it, which made him cocky and arrogant. It made him _Eric_, my Eric.

"At first, Pam suspected you or Bill. He doesn't seem like the type."

"The type? For what?"

Eric sighed. "A small amount of money has gone missing at Fangtasia."

I gasped. "Pam thinks it was me?"

"At first. I put her straight though. You would never do that," he shrugged simply.

I felt a little hurt though. Eric seemed to know instantly.

"Pam is protective, Emilie. She was just eliminating the threats. You are not a threat," he laughed.

"Hey. I can be threatening. I made Jason cry once when he was eight."

"Oh aren't you the big bad monster," Eric smiled as the waitress sailed over, putting down his A Negative and slapping my pizza onto the table. I sighed. Tramp!

"Well it seemed like a pretty big deal at the time," I sighed, still grinning. "Don't you have any other 'threats'?"

"There's a few workers at the bar…Though none could possibly beat me," he chuckled arrogantly. "I'm much older than him."

"How old _are_ you?"

"Over 1000 years. I died during a Viking battle, Godric turned me," he said, his eyes sparkling at the mention of Godric. "He means as much to me as you do."

"Will I ever get to meet him?"

"Yes, probably. He's the Sheriff of Area 9 in Dallas, Texas."

"How old is he?"

"Two thousand," Eric shrugged simply, and I almost choked on the Coke I was drinking.

"Two thousand?" I gasped.

"I know. Everyone does that when they find out how old he is," Eric laughed, taking a sip of his TruBlood. We spoke for another hour or two, until my phone vibrated. I only expected texts from certain people; Sookie, maybe Gran if she could figure out the digits on Sookie's phone and had her reading glasses on right, Jason, Johnny or Kane, and usually Lafayette asking me to hang out with him for a while. Sometimes Tara would text me occasionally.

Yet I hadn't expected a text from Sam Merlotte.

'_Sookie needs . – Sam.'_

"Eric," I said quietly. "We need to go. Now."


	8. Strike One

**A/N: **_Phew. Another new chapter that I really hope you like. :)_

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**Chapter Eight – Strike One**

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"_Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life."_  
**- William Faulkner**

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"What's wrong with her?" Eric sighed. "I was enjoying what little time we have till sunrise."

"Sookie needs me," I shrugged, glancing out at the dark clouds. He rolled his eyes grumpily. I laughed at how childish he was acting. He was distracted too, probably thinking about that missing money in Fangtasia.

"I think you should stay with me," Eric said suddenly.

"Eric, I told you, Sookie needs me so-…"

"No, no. Forget Sookie. There's a killer on the loose," he said, turning to me and flashing the fangs. My turn to roll my eyes, glancing out at the streetlights, wondering what was wrong with Sookie. Maybe Gran could help me comfort her. We're going to pass Hank's aren't we? I should stop, grab her some of her favourite ice cream. Maybe she broke up with Bill? Needs me to cheer her up.

Eric walked into Hank's with me. Hank wasn't working nights though, it was a nerdy little teenager who was ogling us like crazy. Funnily enough, he was reading a comic book with a hero dramatically beating someone with fangs, though I'm not sure if it was a vampire. A sign in bold capital letters read '**Cameras workin'. Don't even think of stealing!**' was stuck to the wall behind him. It looked worn out.

I grabbed the only carton left, the strawberry flavour and Eric was sweet enough to pay for it. Well, I was getting my purse out when he put the money on the counter at vampire speed.

"I'm serious Emilie. It's dangerous."

"I know, I know. But look, I have you and I have Johnny. Plus Sookie ain't that far away from me. I could always go to her. Or maybe, run across and get old Bill. You wouldn't mind him looking after me, would you?" I snickered, seeing the jealous look flash in Eric's eyes.

"I'd rather you didn't," he said icily, taking his money. I thanked the kid, who stuttered and stared at Eric like he was a God.

"I won't, trust me. You're the only vamp for me sweetheart," I laughed.

"Good. 'Cause you're the only human for me."

This time, I got to pick some normal music on a normal radio station to listen to instead of having some woman wailing and screaming which Eric seems to think is 'music'. Crazy.

He scrunched up his nose as we pulled into Sookie's, and I hugged the carton of ice cream to my chest.

"She might be going through a break-up. So beware of tears, ice-cream and some chick flicks if she is…You'll have to help me Eric," I sighed, seeing the look on his face at the mention of chick flicks.

"Why?"

"Because, one, you have enough strength to stop Sookie cleaning. The last time Sookie went out with a guy and he broke up with her, she didn't stop cleaning for six hours straight. And two, you love me."

"Ugh," he groaned, stepping out of the car. I had gotten used to him magically appearing beside the door, taking my hand and helping me out. "By the way…what's a 'chick flick'?"

"I suppose it's a girly movie. I like them, sometimes."

"Girly movie…," he repeated. He sniffed the air, frowning. "That's…that's…"

"What?" I asked, opening the door and strolling in, waiting for Gran to appear and meet Eric. When she didn't, I assumed she was in bed.

"Come on Sook, I got your favourite ice cream. Where are you?" I called, careful not to be too loud in case I did wake Gran. I swear if Jason is here watching a game, I will kill him. He should be helping his sister. That boy is just-

"Um, Em? You have to invite me in. Remember?" Eric asked from the doorway. I blinked, spinning around.

"Oh shoot, yeah. Hold on. Sam?"

Sam appeared, looking testy. "Come in, quickly." He vanished, and I heard the sound of his boots hitting the polished ground.

"Emilie," Eric whispered warily, looking around as he entered. "I smell blood."

"Blood?" I hissed, picking up speed and heading towards the kitchen. Eric was in front of me at vampire speed, his fangs bared and his eyes dark, searching the shadows. I'm the average height for a woman, but honestly I felt so short next to Eric.

He was much taller than me of course, making it harder to see past him. It was so quiet that I nervously clutched the ice cream, feeling it melting a little. Please, please say someone just got a paper cut. Please don't let anyone be too badly hurt. I'm sorry for calling Jason a baby, I'm sorry for that fight I had with Sookie when I was six over who got the Barbie doll with the blonde hair and high heels, and I'm sorry if I ever refused to eat Gran's food as a kid!

When I saw Sookie, I felt relief. Until I saw she was scrubbing the floors. That was never a good sign. Sam was there, telling her to stop. Eric glanced at me and mouthed, 'Should I get the chick flicks?'. I thumped his arm gently, my eyes wide at the sight of Sookie. That was…blood, all around her, wasn't it? I gasped, pushing past Eric. Sam seemed to sag in relief when he saw me. I fell to the ground beside Sookie, not liking the sticky feeling of blood on the ground.

"Sookie, what happened?"

"G-Gran," Sookie stuttered, refusing to stop cleaning. That didn't tell me much, but it was enough to give me a bad feeling in my tummy.

"Should you be here?" Sam asked Eric coldly, almost concealing a growl. I glared in his direction.

"I don't see a sign outside that says 'Don't let Eric Northman in'. What does it matter to you anyway?" Eric snorted, not putting his fangs away for a second. Way to be sensitive in front of Sookie.

"Because I care about Sookie and we both know I won't go trying to suck her blood."

"Hey!" I sighed. "Eric is staying here, whether you like it or not Sam."

He didn't like it, that much, but he kept shut while I cleaned up Sookie. I had tears in my eyes too, but if I cried I'd just set Sookie off.

Sookie mumbled incoherently, even when Andy and the other police officers and Bill arrived. Bill walked into the kitchen, while Andy finished asking me questions. I just wish he'd hurry up, Sookie _needs_ me. Eric stood silently, sometimes talking to Bill, sometimes just staring at me. He was on very high alert, certain the serial killer could be _anyone_.

When Andy finally let me go, Eric followed, but Bill kept him back smartly. They spoke, and Eric shrugged. He glanced out at the clouds, getting lighter. It would be bright soon. He'd have to leave.

He nodded as he sighed at the sight of the sky getting that little bit brighter outside, giving me a huge make out kiss that I really hadn't expected, happily smirking as Andy and the other officers' jaws dropped. "I must be leaving soon. Send Sookie my deepest apologies. I'm sincerely sorry. And Emilie, don't think I've forgotten about making you stay with me. It's safer, beautiful."

"We'll see about that," I smiled, blushing slightly. He wiped a tear from my cheek and smiled. Then he was gone.

* * *

Sookie was clutching a teddy, lying on her bed when I found her upstairs. When I first walked in, unsure of what to say before gingerly sitting on the edge of the bed, she just stayed staring at the ceiling. She looked so..._young._ And small.

"I've called Tara, Sookie. She'll be here soon, and Lafayette too. He thought I was calling to get him a 'date' with Jason, even though Jay is straight," I babbled, trying to distract her a little. If you've ever lost someone close, you'll know that aching feeling in your chest. I could feel it now, but I wouldn't let Sookie know that. She was too precious, far too upset.

Suddenly Sookie sat up and hugged me, so tightly I could scarcely breathe. She was babbling too, "Em, you're like my sister! Don't try to pretend this ain't hurtin' you, I can hear your thoughts remember? What am I gonna do? I can't do this, I need my Gran, I miss her so much! S-She was just _lyin' _there and I couldn't do nothin' about it!"

"I'll stay with you Sookie," I said instantly.

Her eyes began to sparkle a little. "You would?"

Eric and Johnny are gonna to kill me but… "Yes, of course."

"Thank you Emilie, thank you. It won't be forever, I just need you…M-My G-Gran is...is gone..." she sobbed. I rubbed her back and comforted her until Tara and Lafayette arrived.

"I'll just…go help Lafayette clean up the mess the police left over, okay Sookie? Don't you worry, Tara will be here with you."

Thankfully Sookie was worn out, nearly ready to fall asleep. Lafayette didn't have his usual swagger as he picked up Sookie's tissues, cleaned dishes and peeled police-tape off the walls and doors.

I knew where everything was in the kitchen, and it didn't take a lot of time to clean up the walls and counters.

"Damn, and I thought you was just gonna ask me to go out to Fangtasia," Lafayette whistled, chuckling lowly and sweeping the area by the back door.

"Now why would I do that?" I murmured, wiping the counters and cupboards, that were usually sparkling. Gran wouldn't have it any other way.

"With that fine piece of ass you got," Lafayette grinned. "What's his name again? Oh yeah, Eric."

Ah, so he does know about Eric. I suppose Sookie and I were the talk of the town, being what the locals and media liked to call 'fangbangers'. Though the media were more polite about it, I guess.

"Would you ever go to Fangtasia?"

"I'm always up for a party!"

I wasn't going to personally invite him though. I don't know, I'd just seen humans coming to Fangtasia looking for just that; a party. Without a vampire for protection, they were incredibly vulnerable. And the from the moment they entered Fangtasia, they knew it. They'd shift nervously, suddenly realizing the vampires were not cuddly, friendly people like the media liked to pretend. They should have guessed from the name 'Fangtasia' anyway. Lafayette isn't stupid though, he's far from an idiot. He knows what he's doing.

I've seen a few humans leave Fangtasia mysteriously and never return. Eric says that once they leave his premises, he can only do so much. Of course, being Sheriff, he has to look after the vampires and keep track. But not the humans. The humans are Andy and the other officers problem.

Lafayette probably knew that vampires weren't such friendly characters. Unfortunately for me, that didn't seem to put him off.

"I should find me a piece of vampire ass like you did."

"Mm," I murmured, not listening properly. I kept feeling that feeling in my heart, when you lose someone and there's that hole. No more pancakes in the morning, or hugs, or staying up late talking to Gran. No more texts asking me if I want to come over and have some lemonade with Sookie and Jason and Johnny. Nothing. And no little cute kisses before I leave, either. Gran was like our mom, the best thing we had. Johnny is going to be crushed.

Oh shoot, I haven't called Johnny or Jason!

I decided to call Johnny first, mainly because I already tried Jason and he hadn't picked up earlier.

"Hey Em!" he laughed as he answered the phone. I could hear Kane in the background.

"Oh is that your sister? Tell her I miss her, she's been so busy being a fangbanger now that she doesn't have the time for us human folk."

Then I heard Kane let out a sharp yelp and an "Ow, why did you hit me?" and it made giggle for just a sweet split second.

"Johnny," I said, the realization of what I'd have to tell him hitting me. Johnny was a softie with a temper when it came to those he loves, and let me tell you, he _loves_ Gran. His temper.. that was never good. "I have something to tell you. We're gonna have to stay at Sookie's for a while."

"What? Why?"

"Gran's died."


	9. Look Through The Window

**A/N: **_New chapter, yay! :)_

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**Chapter Nine – Look Through The Window  
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"_A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist."_  
**- Stewart Alsop**

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Everyone deals with death differently. Sookie could barely function and would rather clean than deal with things directly. My brother however, used anger to get past his problems. Anyone and everyone was a victim. He was sad and moody all in one. The one person I didn't expect to react violently was Jason. Sweet Jason who had never raised a hand to his sister before.

I didn't realize that he had hit her actually. He just came storming in.

"Oh Jace," I said softly. He looked me up and down, and I noticed he was acting strangely. His eyes were dilated like he wasn't fully in there. He glared at everyone, including me, and ran upstairs. He came back down moments later, looking even worse than he had beforehand. When he left, with Andy following him quickly, I raced upstairs to find Sookie crying.

"He hit her!" Tara raged.

"Hit her?" I asked, stumped.

"Yeah! He walked right in here like he owned the place and slapped her!"

Jason had slapped Sookie? Wow. I kept imaging how I'd feel if Johnny ever slapped me. I couldn't even imagine it. Speaking of Johnny…

I heard him come in before I saw him. I heard Hoyt's mother babbling and telling him how sorry she was for his loss. She had done the same to me, and I didn't need Sookie's mind-reading skills to know she just wanted some juicy gossip.

Sookie came downstairs, and went into the kitchen. I decided to deal with Johnny now rather than later. It's only when Johnny is mad at someone that you realize he's actually huge and strong. Normally he's sweet, but when he's mad he towers over me like Eric does. His eyes are darker, more hateful and he seems paler than his normally sun-kissed skin.

He sighed when he saw me, as if I were the source of the problem.

"Emilie," he muttered angrily. Instead of arguing, I just wrapped my arms around him. He was surprised at first, but slowly sunk into the hug. "She's gone."

"I know," I replied, taking in his scent of sweat and cologne. He smelled pretty good actually.

It was then that Sookie had her rant at Hoyt's mom. Johnny tugged on my arm, pushing me forward to go help her. I knew Sookie, and I knew she would have to grieve by herself if she was to ever deal with this. If _we_ could ever deal with this.

* * *

He was old now, wrinkled and grey, alone and depressingly sad to look at. Bartlett was now even more horrible and hideous than he had ever been before. He saw me glaring at him, and at first ignored me. Until he saw the ever-annoyed Johnny beside me. Then he turned, staying well away from us.

Yes, Johnny was still bad-tempered. He was calming down though, and didn't snap at people. I had helped him and Kane get dressed for the funeral. Kane has a terrible habit of undoing his smart tie when he gets all fidgety and agitated.

Bartlett must've been invited by Jason, because Lord knows Sookie would never, _ever _call him. That bastard didn't deserve to even be treated as a human or vampire, if I'm honest.

Sookie clutched to my hand desperately when she saw him.

"Don't worry Sook. You have me, Kane and Johnny. He's not getting anywhere near you," I promised. I could never admit to Sookie that I was as depressed about Gran's death as she was. I hadn't stopped crying when I was alone, but I could never let her know that. It would ruin her if she knew it. Instead, I put on a brave smile and led her to her seat.

Kane stopped his fidgeting and actually became the best friend Johnny needed right now. He ignored how Johnny snapped at him angrily, taking all the comments in his stride. He knew how to deal with Johnny when he was angry. In fact, it's kind of how they became friends. When Kane was younger, he sold some dodgy product to an older boy in his school. When the guy found out it wasn't functional and he had basically spend money on a worthless item, he decided to teach Kane a lesson. At the time, Kane wasn't very tall or strong like he is now. He was smaller and weaker.

But Johnny _was_ taller and stronger. He helped Kane by stopping the guy from beating him and forcing Kane to give him back his money. Ever since then, they'd been best friends. And Johnny was always there to help Kane out whenever he was in trouble for selling something stupid to an equally stupid person. Though I admit, I bought some stuff from him before, falling for his smart phrases. I must be a stupid person then.

Now it was Kane's turn to look after Johnny as he sat with his head in his hands, doing his best not to break down. I sat between Johnny and Sookie. The moment Jason was alone, I confronted him.

"Why did you invite Bartlett?"

"Oh not you too Emilie," he muttered, rubbing his left eye with his hand tiredly. "Look, he was Gran's brother."

"And you think Gran would want him here? Hell no Jason, she hated him as much as we all do. Heck, even Johnny hates him."

Though Johnny didn't know about what Bartlett did to Sookie – all that horrible sexual abuse and fear he drilled into her at such a young age – he still didn't like the guy. There was just this vibe about him that put him off, and Johnny never liked him. Kane didn't really like Bartlett either, but he didn't care much because he never had to deal with Bartlett like we did.

Tara's mother Lettie Mae made a surprise speech that ended with Tara dragging her away. I stepped up quickly.

"Thank you so much for coming. I know Gran would appreciate having her friends and family here."

It was the best I could do, since Sookie was so…quiet. She was grateful when I managed to convince Johnny to stay for a few weeks. He was pissed off about it, but after a few minutes of begging he gave up and gave in. When we got home, I went to my room – a room Sookie had sweetly set up for me - and I swear I have never cried so much in my life.

* * *

It was a while before I got to see Eric. Though I hadn't expected it. He appeared suddenly in my bedroom as I sat on the bed, reading a book.

"Feel like a night out in Fangtasia?"

"Not really," I shrugged. His eyebrows drew together, in something of frustration. Then I realized why he must want me to go. He thought this 'killer' would come back. It didn't matter if it was for me or for Sookie, he was just worried something would happen. "Oh fine, I'll go."

After we drove, listening to some kind of music which I'm guessing was Swedish with a woman wailing in the background again, I noticed Fangtasia was buzzing tonight. We passed all the human people in a group like sheep and I felt that familiar feeling of guilt that they might get hurt. Who knows what could happen to them?

I actually had a lot of fun. He made me forget all the problems, all the pain of losing Gran and having to help Sookie all the time. I loved her to bits though, she was like an older sister. I would do anything for her.

Then I saw a human I never wanted to see in this bar; Jason Stackhouse.

I almost growled as I headed in his direction, but Eric's hand curled around my wrist, pulling me back to him.

"What's wrong?" he purred, grinning and searching the crowd. I looked back, seeing Jason was gone. Maybe I was going crazy. Jace hated vamps, he'd never come here, would he? I wasn't sure. I felt so uncertain that I let it go.

"N-Nothing."

"Good. Then let's dance."

No one was up when I got home. Not even Johnny, who usually stayed up pretty late. I put my keys on the counter and sighed, sitting at the table and noticing Gran's pie had been eaten. Sookie, probably.

Messing up my hair with my hands, I sighed again and put my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes and not caring if I messed up my mascara. I was just tired.

I decided to go to bed then, standing and stretching.

That was when I saw her, through the window, in the dark. At least I think it was a woman, because it had only been a quick glance. She was outside, staring in. She was so pale, with dark red hair, almost maroon red. Her eyes had been wide open, with a trail of blood running down her chin. I gasped, almost knocking over the bowl of pie. I clutched my heart actually, falling backwards. I had squealed too, so afraid of this random stranger staring in my window.

But when I looked back again, she was gone. First I had seen Jason in Fangtasia, and now this woman.

Was I going crazy from missing Gran or something?


	10. Crazy

**A/N: **_Da-da. New chapter. Enjoy :)_

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**Chapter Ten - Crazy**

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"_And introduce an element of cynicism and darkness into it and just realize that we're all vulnerable. We are humans. There is a finite end to this life and we're all going to face it and a little silliness can help."_  
**- Alan Thicke**

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**Everyone seems to have a dark-side that I don't know about. Anyone could be harboring secrets. That scares me. I suppose I have my own secrets too, like the fact I was so certain I had seen Jason in Fangtasia, and then that woman outside the window. I rolled up to Merlotte's, I could see a few people staring at me in disgust. They were practically screaming 'fangbanger' at me. I hadn't slept with Eric, and I didn't plan to until I was certain about him.

I loved him though, that was for sure. But hillbillies never think; they just act and deal with the consequences later. As soon as I entered Merlotte's, I was swept up into a very deep hug. It couldn't be Sookie, because she wasn't this strong or tall. And I knew from the smell of sweat and cologne – a lot like Johnny's – that it wasn't Sam Merlotte either, though I have no idea why he'd be hugging me in first place. It could be Lafayette…

But to my utter shock and surprise, it was Jason, looking the happiest I had ever seen him in weeks. I couldn't even touch the ground, since he held me by the waist and was dragging me towards some girl, who was smiling at how childish he was. She was really pretty, and very hippy-like. Her brown hair was wavy, slightly curled and she was smiling at me.

"This is her Amy, Emilie, she's like my little sister," he told her, as if I wasn't even there actually. She nodded with a smile, probably Jason's new arm-candy and shook my hand as Jason put me down. Ouch, that boy did _not_ know his own strength.

"Well, I'm Amy Burley. It's nice to meet you Emilie. Jason hasn't stopped talking about you since we met," she smiled.

"Really," I murmured suspiciously. Jason, talking about me all the time. Hm, I hadn't talked to him much lately, apart from texting him once or twice to make sure he was okay. He hadn't replied to one or two of them. I put on a cheery smile. "It's nice to meet you too Amy! So how long have you and Jason been going out?"

"Oh a few weeks. It feels like more though," Amy smiled.

Jason normally didn't go out with a girl for more than a month tops. Amy could probably see my apprehensive look, because she smiled and led me towards an empty seat. I spotted Sookie staring over with a frown on her face and grinned. She snapped out of her daydream and smiled back at me. Lafayette stood behind her, watching and grinning.

"Jason really has been talking about you a lot Emilie. He does regret not talking to you recently," she said warmly as we sat, not letting go of my hands. I raised an eyebrow. She was a Jason Stackhouse-expert now, was she? Stifling a giggle at her rather serious expression, I gripped her hands a little tighter and leaned forward.

"Has he now? How sweet. I regret not talking to him either."

"He said he was worried, about you and the vampire," she smiled.

I sat up quickly like a bullet, almost as if she'd slapped me. The way she said 'vampire' sounded…off. I didn't like it. She was looking sort of dreamy-eyed at me, like I was an experiment or a God or something. It kind of freaked me out. Like there was something beneath the surface I couldn't see. Secrets. Damn secrets, everyone seems to be hiding something lately.

* * *

Flinging my keys onto the small wooden table beside the door, I took off my jacket and strolling into the kitchen. I froze when I saw Bill, two kids and Sookie all eating some sundaes. I frowned.

"Where's my ice-cream, hm Sookie?"

She giggled happily and skipped over to me, handing me a sundae with strawberry and melted chocolate. Needless to say I was utterly delighted. Bill smiled as some of the strawberry run down the corner of my chin and chucked a napkin at me. I caught it, and went to the sink, intending to wash some of the ice cream that had melted onto my hands, and nervously looked out the window just in case the woman was there. Only my pale reflection stared back. And I noticed that, with my pale skin and how my eyes looked so dark in this light, the strawberry juice running in a thick line looked like blood. I looked like a vampire.

I quickly washed my hands and felt someone tugging on the end of my t-shirt. I jumped, spinning around and seeing the girl. She was smiling.

"You're Emilie, Sookie's friend, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, you startled me a little," I laughed.

Her brother had ice-cream all over his face, and it made me laugh again. Bill had some oranges or something in his mouth when he looked at me and I couldn't stop laughing after that. They looked a little like his fangs. He was surprisingly good with kids. I didn't expect that. Another talent Bill has hidden, I guess.

* * *

Eric's kiss was like electricity. So much so he completely distracted me from two people entering the bar. He had picked me up a while ago, and this was basically what we'd been doing since we arrived. I gasped when I saw them, jumping off the table and running towards Sookie. She smiled at me, a very strained smile. I frowned at the sight of it. Bill shook my hand in a very gentleman-y sort of style.

Eric had gone through a long list of people today - or rather, _tonight-_ trying to figure out who stole the money from Fangtasia. I had sat with him in his office, bored out of my mind as he went through every single detail of every single person that worked here.

And then they brought in Ginger, scantily-clad and looking quite moody. They sat her down and began the interrogation. Sookie tried to get to the bottom of it. I closed my eyes for a split second, but that's all it took to miss what she had said. I did manage to see Longshadow lunge himself at Sookie and start choking her.

I gasped and grabbed at Eric's arm, tugging him forward to do something. He put his arm around my shoulders as I struggled forward.

"No, Emilie," he said gently, as if scolding a child. "He might hurt you if you got too close."

"You idiot, he's hurting Sookie, not me!"

"Well, I can see that," he shrugged.

Bill was the one to do something. He staked Longshadow. It was the sickest thing I had ever seen, and he just…turned into some clothes and a very bloody mess. Ginger screeched like crazy and fell to the ground, trying to…well, I'm not sure what she was trying to accomplish. Perhaps she was trying to put him back together. She had been glamoured one too many times in Pam's books, but Eric liked her.

"Humans," Eric shrugged, tickling my arm a little. "Honestly Bill I don't know why you bother."

"Oh shut up, that was disgusting," I muttered, shoving him – though he barely even moved. I made my way over to Sookie, who was gasping and absolutely _drenched _in blood. In her hair, her dress…everywhere. She was still gasping and staring at Bill when I led her towards the bathroom to help her clean up.

"Oh and Eric, I need to talk to you," I murmured as we passed him. He raised an eyebrow, giving me a very cheeky grin.

"Oh really? I look forward to it."

If he only knew I was going to tell him about that woman, and how I thought I had seen Jason in Fangtasia. Or…should I tell him? Maybe it'd just make him worry.

"Come on Sook," I said comfortingly, rubbing her arm up and down.

This was going to be a very long night.


	11. Weird Things Are Going On

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**Chapter Eleven - Weird Things Are Going On  
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"_Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit."_  
**- Henry B. Adams**

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**I was alone for the first time in a long time. It was raining outside, heavily. Eric had left hours ago. He had kissed me before he explained that there were consequences for Bill's actions against Longshadow. Then he had left. Just like that. Sookie was, of course, inconsolable and certain that Bill would never return again. I wasn't so sure myself. Vampires can be very vicious when they want to be, from what I've seen.

Now I had my own problem. Sitting here in the middle of the night, wishing Eric would come back and kiss me, talk all over again, and just stay. But as Sheriff, he couldn't do that right now. My problem was that I couldn't stop thinking about that woman. It seemed she was always on my mind.

I almost fell off the couch when someone banged against the door.

"Emilie, open up!" Ah, it was Jason.

Putting a hand on my heart, I rolled off the couch to go answer it. Jason entered looking like a hungry wolf, his eyes wide and dilated yet again. He was babbling incoherently. He hugged me, he kissed my cheek, he apologized, though I wasn't sure what he was saying sorry for. And he was absolutely soaking wet from the rain. It dripped from his hair, running down his nose and onto his clothes. He was creating a little mini-puddle on Sookie's rug.

I sighed. "Go sit on the couch Jason and I'll make you something to eat."

I wasn't sure if he was drunk or…_on_ something. Jason isn't stupid enough to do drugs, is he?...Oh God, he is. Knowing that Bon Temps is such a small town, I think Lafayette might be his supplier. Or at least, I guessed it was Lafayette because Jason stuttered out his name once or twice. Everyone else might have their secrets in this town, but drugs is a whole other story just because they all like to think they're holy since they go to church. I just hope I'm wrong. I'll have to talk to Sookie about it. I sighed again and was about to shut the door until I saw _her_ again.

Jason staggered towards the couch, babbling about Amy or something, but I was frozen at the door. He was too far out of it to notice. He slid down the couch until he was lying there, snoring softly and babbling. I would have rolled my eyes and gotten him a blanket, but I was so certain that the woman had taken a step away from the house.

And then she turned and ran at a human pace.

"No, wait!" I gasped, launching myself out the door. I didn't care that I was in a nightie – pink, owned by Sookie, since I couldn't find my own pyjamas – running into the rain. She didn't look so pale anymore, and the moment she saw me coming she ran faster. I was almost crying from how fast I had to run after her – my lungs were burning. I knew she was a vampire, I just knew it, but she continued to run at a human pace, almost as if she were waiting for me to catch up to her. I wasn't sure what I would do if I did catch up with her.

My head felt like cotton as I ran, as if I didn't even know who I was anymore or why I was running. It felt…weird. Like I was dizzy or nauseous.

The rain seemed to lighten up as I slowed down, giving up. She was long gone in a split second then. I realized it was pretty stupid to leave the house, but it felt as if I was in a trance. Even when I had gotten back to the house, slammed the door and locked all the locks, I still felt as if I were in a trance.

Slowly walking to the couch in a daze, Jason moved his legs and I sat down. He was still talking to myself – I don't think he knew I had left the house. I lay down beside him on the couch and couldn't focus. He began hugging me again, his arm around my waist. He was so out of his mind that he was talking about someone called Eddie, repeatedly hugging me and saying sorry for nothing. Soon Jason stopped his babbling and fell asleep again. I wasn't lucky enough to fall asleep.

* * *

Sookie had brought home a surprise guest – a dog, a border collie. My trance-like state was thankfully over, and I had to drop Jason back at Amy's. She didn't seem to be out of it, and thanked me for dropping him off. Though I noticed Jason didn't drive out to Sookie's. He couldn't have run the whole way here, could he? Whatever he took seemed to give him enough energy to do anything and take on the world, so I wasn't sure.

She called him Dean. He was pretty cute, and I spent ages rubbing his tummy. Cute dog. I wish we had a dog. Maybe Sookie will let us keep him, but I think Sam Merlotte owns him. I had totally forgotten to talk to Sookie about Jason by now, more interested in playing with the dog.

"Hey Em, I'm going to bed so-… Why are you covered in mud?" Sookie called, coming down the stairs.

I glanced down at the nightie, only now stupidly realizing I hadn't changed. Shoot. Now I have to explain.

But Sookie didn't give me the chance. "Is that my nightie? Dang it Emilie, go change! You'll catch your death in that! Hurry."

The dog barked, as if he agreed.

"Traitor," I muttered, standing and leaving to go change.

* * *

She was screaming when I woke up. Sookie, that is. Not that crazy woman I keep seeing. Or am I the crazy one, seeing visions of a person who doesn't exist? I cannot afford a mental hospital right now. Too expensive. I'll just have to stay insane for a while. I sighed at my own failed attempt to calm myself down.

"Sookie!" I yelped, jumping out of bed and stubbing my toe on the dresser. Ouch. She owes me for this.

The thought of the Killer being in the house crossed my mind, and I cursed the fact that I had left Jason's baseball bat in his old room. Dang. I ran, barefoot across the house, slamming into Sookie's door.

"Sook? Open the goddamn door!"

"J-Just a minute," she said. I heard hisses, and then the door swung open. I raised an eyebrow as she calmly tried to flatten her hair.

"Yes?"

"…You were screaming," I said flatly.

"Screaming?" she breezed. "Oh, darlin', I just uh, had a nightmare is all."

She gave me her trademark smile as I glanced at the room behind her, still unsure. Sookie hadn't had nightmares since Bill started staying over, but now that he was gone..I suppose it was possible.

"Where's Dean?"

"Hm? Oh I let him out to go to the toilet, you know," she said, still smiling. She looked nervous though. As if she were hiding something.

"Sookie, don't lie."

"Ouch!" a voice yelped from behind her. We both jumped, and I pushed her out of the way.

And of course, my life couldn't get any weirder as Sam Merlotte rolled out from under the bed, butt-naked and saying he got a splinter in his leg or thigh or something. My eyes were as wide as saucers as he stood sheepishly, almost blushing at me.

"H-Hey, Emilie."

"Sookie," I said, taking a deep breath. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but Sam Merlotte is under your bed. Naked."

* * *

I've seen weird things. I've seen Jason Stackhouse running around the house, screaming because he found a ladybird in his bed and thought it was a spider. He's old enough now to be all manly and he claims he isn't afraid of spiders, but he's always suspiciously busy if I find one and need him to get rid of it for me.

My boyfriend is a vampire – that's pretty darn weird. I've seen vampires hiss and snarl at each other when sitting with said boyfriend in Fangtasia. It never got further than that, because they're too afraid of Eric to actually fight in front of him. It's usually over a human they both want to drink from or own really. Hell, I've even seen Bill Compton, a vampire, putting some oranges in as fangs for some kids.

But seeing Sam Merlotte naked and hiding from me under Sookie's bed was really in the top five weirdest things I've ever seen.

Imagine having breakfast and trying to look him in the eye after everything I've seen. Sookie was rather pissed at him, but I found the whole thing hilarious. He was a dog. Sam Merlotte was a _dog_. Seriously?

He came down the stairs as I drank my orange juice and read the newspaper. He flopped down on the couch and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He took one look at my smug smile and frowned.

"Shut up Emilie."

"I haven't even said anything!" I snorted. I couldn't help it.

But he cracked a strained smile. "You're thinking about it."

"Ah, so you're a mind-reader as well as a dog now?"

"No," he said firmly. "I'm a shape-shifter."

"Right," I sighed contently, rolling up my newspaper. "Yet I rubbed your tummy."

"You're quite good at it."

"Shut up," I laughed. As I walked past him, I slapped the side of his head gently with the newspaper. He winced and instantly put his hands up in self-defence.

"Ouch Em, what was that for?" he asked, a hint of annoyance and anger in his voice, but I knew he wasn't really mad or hurt.

"Sookie will go mad. Dogs aren't allowed on the couch. Bad dog, no treats for you!"

And I ran before he could launch himself off the couch to chase after me, laughing my head off.


	12. Straight From the Horse's Mouth

**A/N: **_Took me a while, but I'm finally updating this! :D Enjoy!_

**_* _****Ledsen, kärlek** - _Sorry, love._

**P.S - This is a warning, there's a curse or two in here :)**_  
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**Chapter Twelve – Straight from the Horse's Mouth**

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"_A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.__"_  
**- ****Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.**

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If there's ever a mystery going on, you can trust Maxine Fortenberry knows everything about it. As I purchased a bar of chocolate and some soda, I spotted her roaming around the disinfectant aisle, staring at Jason and I, clearly dying to ask me where my vampire boyfriend was. She even pretended to 'drop' her purse right beside me as she scanned the sweets in front of the cash register. Jason had been walking right towards me, but the moment he saw her he spun on his heels and walked the other way. Such a traitor.

Resisting the urge to smile at her attempts, I picked up her purse and handed it back to her with a pleasant, 'Oh Maxine, I didn't see you lurking right there behind me' sort of smile instead. Her smile was equally fake.

"Oh, Emilie! What a surprise!"

_'Oh yes, because you weren't snooping around me for the past twenty minutes, were you Maxine?'_

"What do you mean, Maxine, I'm only getting some soda," I laughed.

She looked flustered. "Oh, well, you know I just didn't expect to see you here…_during the day_," she said, whispering the last part.

Since when did I avoid garlic and sleep in coffins? That's Eric's job.

"I ain't a vampire Maxine," I giggled. God, Hoyt was a lot nicer than his mother. He was the cutest guy ever, and was such a sweetheart. His mother must have been dropped on her head or something, because she has an unquenchable thirst for vampire gossip lately. Maxine didn't mean to be bad, she was just a little nosey.

"Oh I know, I know," she said, still flustered. We just sort of looked at each other then, before Jason smoothly interrupted.

"Emilie, there you are!" he exclaimed. "Hey Mrs. Fortenberry."

_'Oh you absolute liar, Jason Stackhouse, don't pretend you were avoiding talking to Hoyt's mother!'_

"Hello Jason," Maxine said firmly. Everyone in Bon Temp knew that Maxine thought Jason was something of a bad influence on Hoyt, a playboy with nothing better to do than drink and date girls. And in a way, she was perfectly right. "How have you been keeping lately?"

"Real good, thanks. Whatta 'bout you?"

"Hm, just lookin' after my boy Hoyt. Boy eats like an elephant."

"He sure does," Jason laughed, his eyes crinkling as he thought of his friend. "Well, we gotta get goin' now, Mrs. Fortenberry. Nice seein' you. Tell Hoyt I'll see him soon, 'kay?"

Truth is, Jason probably won't see Hoyt anytime soon. I don't know what he and Amy are up to, but sometimes when I call him, he starts babbling down the phone about nature, the air, how we don't appreciate it.

Now was one of the rare times when he could actually speak English instead of babbling complete Gibberish about love and peace. I don't know what he and Amy have been doing, but he seems a lot happier than I ever remember him being.

* * *

When I opened my front door, still getting used to living at Sookie's, I pulled out the present I had bought Sam. I know it's cruel, and hurtful, but God-damn it was funny to me. I needed a laugh right now.

Said shape-shifter appeared in front of me, wiping his hands on a towel. Sookie refused flat out to tell me why Sam was staying here for the day, but I didn't truly care, since this present of mine should put a smile on his face.

Sam eyed the brown paper bag with a frown.

"Look Sam, it's a squeaky toy," I grinned, pulling of the tag and throwing it on the floor. "Fetch!"

He sighed, but he gave me a toothy grin. "Real mature. When will this stop Emilie?"

"Well, I'm hopin' you'll start barking at the mailman and barking at house guests or pee on the floor. But I guess that won't happen, since you don't even like the toy I got you."

"Hey, at least I ain't a fangbanger," he snorted.

"Think about it this way; at least I don't have to check him for fleas."

"Don't be so sure about that," he muttered. "Eric ain't so clean himself. A dangerous guy like that can never be clean Em, not on the inside at least."

* * *

The squeaky toy was still lying on the floor when I got downstairs to make some coffee later that night. I have no idea if Sam is still here, or even if Sookie's home in bed. I fell asleep hours ago. Padding silently on the wooden floors leading to the kitchen, the house was eerily quiet. Grabbing a cup from the countertop, I flicked on the lights in the kitchen and sat for a moment, just sitting.

I could see the squeaky toy from here, a dog boned shape toy lying in the light. The crickets outside were singing to each other, the wind blowing the trees. All in all, it was a normal night in Bon Temps.

That is, until I stood up and was blocked by a red-headed vampire. At first, I thought it was the woman I had seen outside, but after I embarrassingly squeaked in horror and fell backwards, I realized with close inspection that she was much younger. Someone caught me with strong arms, rubbing them up and down.

"Calm down, Emilie. _Ledsen, kärlek_."*

Of course I knew that voice anywhere, and I didn't even look back at Eric. This young female vampire grinned at me before her fangs appeared with a nice little _click_. She licked them with her tongue.

"Don't tell me she speaks it too?" she asked.

"No," Eric muttered darkly. "She doesn't speak _Swedish_."

"Good. Annoys the Heck outta me. Actually it's really _fucking _annoying!"

Then she squealed, giggling and clamping a hand over her mouth as if she were in gleeful shock. I raised an eyebrow.

"Did you _hear _that?"

"Hear what?" I asked dumbly, thinking she heard something with her vampire hearing that humans couldn't.

"_Me_!" she squealed. "I said the f-word! Oh Lord, my momma would _kill_ me if she heard me!"

"Momma?" I repeated, completely confused.

"Please, don't worry about it, Em," Eric said in a low, husky tone only meant for me. "I'll explain everything."

"Where's Bill?"

"I assume he'll be on his way to find Sookie. She's upstairs, still asleep, isn't she?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, though I hadn't known that.

"We made it here faster." He was smug about that.

"I can see that," I said plainly, motioning towards Jessica.

Eric laughed, a melody that flew throughout the house.

"See, even Bill has a bad side," he smiled, ruffling my hair. "He's just better at hiding it."


	13. Take Me Away

**A/N: **_Uh-oh, sorry for the late update! I'll reply to reviews...sometime...I just have to get this all uploaded! Enjoy, faithful readers!_

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**Chapter Thirteen – Take Me Away **

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"_Each has its lesson; for our dreams in sooth, come they in shape of demons, gods, or elves, are allegories with deep hearts of truth that tell us solemn secrets of ourselves."_

**Henry Timrod**

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"The storm appears to be quite violent, and will probably arrive within days. We would advise people to prepare in advance…" the broadcaster's voice trailed off. "In other news-…"

"Fuck!"

I jumped at the sound of this unknown voice, gripping the glass of plain milk in my hand in surprise. Spinning on my heels, I saw Jessica with a smile on her face. I rolled my eyes. It must be 11pm at night, yet she was constantly disobeying Eric. As soon as I had thought of him, a message from him popped up on my phone saying '_I've lost Jessica. Again._' Insert frowny-face here. Though I know Eric truly wouldn't care if he had truly lost Jessica, because she wasn't actually 'his'.

I text him back instantly, with a quick '_Don't worry. I found her._' Insert yet another frowny face right there.

Don't get me wrong, Jessica could be nice when she wanted. But honestly, she really didn't want to.

"Why did you curse?" I asked, putting the milk on the table.

Before she had opened her mouth, the biggest disaster happened. Kane Taylor strolled into the kitchen, chewing on something that resembled wheat in his mouth. He stopped and came to a complete halt when he spotted Jess. And her eyes lit up in absolute delight when she saw Kane, without a shirt, only in grey tracksuit pants and no shoes. He yawned at the sight of her and started walking over to the sink, grabbing a cup from Sookie's cupboard and filling it with water. Jess's jaw dropped, seeing that Kane truly didn't care that a vampire was standing in our kitchen.

Kane was very carefree, always living in the present. Life and death were something he didn't take seriously, and sometimes, if he was feeling particularly stupid, he'd get himself into fights for the fun of it. He still had a scar or two between his shoulder blades, which Jess eyed like a rabid cat. But Kane didn't care. He was used to women drooling over him, and just because she wasn't human didn't change anything.

"Hi there, I'm Jessica."

Kane rubbed his eyes tiredly, messing up his hair. He glanced at her. I should mention he's a terribly cranky person if he doesn't get at least 8 hours sleep.

"I'm Kane, nice to meet you, Jessica." Polite enough for her, apparently, because she slid into the seat across the table and took his hand.

He looked at hers, then at his, and back at her face.

"I'm a vampire," she said, stating the obvious. I sort of felt bad for Jessica. She thought that because she was a vamp, she was superior and more experience than Kane. But he just smiled at her.

"And, like I said, I'm Kane."

He stood, his chair squeaking against the lino as he stood, and he walked out. We watched his form vanish, as he drank from the water and let out a laugh. We heard him run up the stairs, two at a time. Another laugh sounded from him, before I looked at Jessica.

If she were human, she'd totally be blushing.

"Don't worry Jess, Kane isn't always like that," I shrugged. "He's just tired."

Jessica groaned suddenly and rolled her eyes. "Ah crap."

"What?"

"Eric's here."

I strained my ears trying to hear him, but I could hear nothing. Not a single sound apart from the crickets outside and the quiet hum of the radio, warning us of a violent storm heading towards Bon Temp. Then, he appeared behind Jessica. I managed not to squeak or jump, though the _whoosh_ sound had startled me a little.

Give me a break; vampires are hard to get used to sometimes.

"Jessica," he growled, grabbing her arm. I would probably be screaming in pain if that were me, but for a vampire that was hardly more than a pinch. She sighed and rolled her eyes again like a moody teenager going through major hormone problems.

"Alright, alright. I was bored, okay? If you entertained me I wouldn't have to come find Emilie," she said, sticking her pink tongue out at him. His lip twitched, and I'm almost certain he would've eaten her alive right there and there if I hadn't been in the room.

"You are in so much trouble," Eric hissed, as calmly as he could. "Isn't there some place somewhere in the world where I can just dump you and leave you there?"

* * *

Hank squinted. "Does that say $28, or $48?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hank, that says it's one dollar."

"Really? Oh."

"Hank, I'm tellin' you man, give up!" Kane laughed. "Just buy a cash register off me. I promise it's legit!"

Hank frowned, his wrinkles deepening. He didn't trust Kane. Anyone who knew him, probably knew better than to actually buy his stuff. It wasn't usually a smart bet.

"Nah, this thing will work. My sight just ain't so good."

"Sure Hank, whatever makes you sleep at night," Kane laughed.

We paid, and on our way out we passed Rene. He smiled, slapped Kane's back and they talked about 'manly' things like the latest game on TV while I stood idly by. Until Kane started talking about seeing Jessica last night. Rene's eyes landed on me and I felt a chill run down my spine. But I wasn't afraid of Rene, he was a sweet guy, being with Arlene and everything. Perfect husband for her, I guess.

"Vampires? You're gettin' too messed up in that shit Em."

Even Kane glanced at Rene's tone of voice then. It was like aggression, but friendliness and a joking tone at the same time.

"Chill Rene," Kane frowned. "Jess was fine. She didn't do nothing."

Rene's chest puffed out a little, but he barely reached Kane's shoulders. Kane had never backed down to anything in his life, and he certainly wouldn't apologize for defending a vampire, even one like Jess who was getting way into her role of badass vamp. She wore leather suits so tight even Pam turned her nose up at them. Kane normally liked sweet girls like Jess, but he didn't like how she acted and cursed. In fact, he hated it.

"Don't tell me you're on their side too, Taylor?" Rene asked with a grim, fake smile, using Kane's surname, almost rolling the 'r' a little too much.

"Their side? We're on teams now? I get it," Kane smiled, but his was genuine. Even if Rene was Kane's friend, I knew Kane was just itching for a reason to fight, because he was rubbing his knuckles behind his back.

"No, no. Just…be careful. You too, Emilie," Rene said. His smile unnerved me. Something must be up with Rene, he's never like this. He squinted in the sunlight. "Eh, any of you seen Sookie around lately?"

"I think she's down at Merlotte's. Why?" Kane asked, squinting too as he turned to open the car door.

"Oh, just wonderin'. You can't have her out alone when there's a killer on the loose, can you?"


	14. Fury

**Chapter Fourteen – Fury **

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"_An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.__"  
_**- ****Cato**

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"So. Prison sounds…attractive. Has anyone made you their bitch yet?"

"Emilie for God's sake can't you take anything seriously?" Andy Bellefleur scolded, crossing his arms angrily. I blew a piece of hair from my face and looked at him airily. He was frowning, his face a deep maroon red. I wondered if he had anything better to do today other than following me around and giving out for every single thing I did. If I looked out the window, he said I was distracted. I didn't talk loud enough, he said I was wasting his time. Honestly, I couldn't do anything _right_.

Jason looked at me with his big brown eyes and had the saddest expression ever. It made me sigh. Twice. "I-I must-a done it Emilie."

"Oh Jason give me a break. You're not a killer! Sookie's more of a killer than you'll ever be," I huffed, annoyed by all this stupid nonsense. "I mean, shit Jason-…"

"Emilie! Watch your mouth!" Andy bellowed.

"Why are you even here? This is between me and him," I growled.

"I'm here because unlike Sookie, I don't trust you not to attack him because of his stupidity."

"Don't make fun of him Andy, that ain't right," I muttered.

"Em, you just gotta understand that I'm meant to be here!" Jason exclaimed angrily, hammering the steel table with his fists. Had that been me, I'd be crying my eyes out from the pain, but Jason didn't even blink as he stared me down. "Why can't you just get that straight?"

"'Cause you ain't a serial killer you idiot!" I yelled, ignoring the fact that I had just given out to Andy for making fun of Jason's low IQ a few seconds ago.

"Yes, I am! The whole town knows it, I know it, everyone gets it but you!"

"Sookie doesn't. Rene, Hoyt, Sam-…"

"They're just saying that to make you feel better, and you're too naïve or stupid to get it!"

That shut me up right there. Jason never once called me naïve or stupid. Honestly, I didn't notice till now that Jason had never seriously called me a 'bad' name before, even if it was just stupid. Jason's eyes widened and he fell back into his chair, rubbing his face with his hands as he tried to apologize.

"No, no, Jace. Just forget it. As long as you know I don't think you're a killer. But I guess I'm too naïve and stupid to really understand the situation." I grabbed my purse, stood and stormed out as Jason yelled my name.

As I waited for Andy to lock Jason back up, I waited in the reception. I spotted a man who smiled at me.

"Are you alright, ma'am? My name is Orry. I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun. Can I help you?" this weirdo asked, standing and stretching out a hand to me. I took it, and he pulled out a pamphlet, handing it to me. There was a picture of a sun, and some overly happy looking people smiling into the camera.

'Be Happy – Be Free From Fangs By Belief In God!' the title screamed at me.

Ah. Anti-vampire group.

"I won't be needing this."

"Oh, it's just in case. You never know."

"Yeah, I hate when I'm doing my weekly shopping and get bit by a vampire," I muttered sarcastically, opening it to find even more pictures promising me eternal happiness. I could probably use some of that.

"Young lady, this is a serious matter. They are a plight that aim to destroy the human race."

"It'll take them a while then."

His frown deepened, and I could see darkness swirling in his eyes. It seems these guys aren't so heavenly and divine. They have some fury bubbling under the surface too, I see.

I had something of a staring competition with him. I refused to blink, something that unnerved him. You could feel the tension, feeling so thick and heavy. He knew I was on the vampires side. He wasn't stupid, and it annoyed him that people like me existed. 'Fangbangers' as the media called us. His eyes narrowed venomously.

"Uh, sir? Jason is ready to see you now," Andy's voice rang out, his accent deep and tough. It broke the tension, cutting through it like a knife.

Then, he put on the falsest, most plastic smile I have ever seen.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Miss Robins. I hope you can see my point of view," Orry smiled.

"Mmm. You've made me realize a lot of things, Orry. Really opened my eyes," I said happily. He shook my hand again, his grip like iron. For such a weedy man, he had a good grip, so much so I almost winced. _Almost_. He was meeting Jason? Oh God, no. Jason is a sucker for these kind of guys. He watched those Tele-shopping ads on TV so much, and spent so much money on stupid products he thought he 'needed', we got them taken off his TV. Idiot!

"Have a great day."

"You too," I nodded. "Please, do tell Jason I'll be calling him later."

Though he could see I didn't like him, and that this phone call I'll be giving Jason would be entirely about him, he didn't seem to care at all as he nodded, and still with his plastic smile plastered to his face, followed Andy down the hall. I crumpled the pamphlet in my hand and ripped it to shreds.

Then, I suddenly realized something. He had called me '_Miss Robins_'. I hadn't told him my name.

* * *

They were on the TV. They had posters. They had interviews, were in magazines, in newspapers. Hell, even_ Oprah_ was talking about them. The Fellowship of the Sun, I mean. With smiling kids who were called 'snacks for vampires' by these Fellowship members and showing happy parents with jumpers wrapped fashionably around their necks. Cute dogs pranced beside them, and the whole thing looked tastefully disgusting.

Man, Eric would _**love**_ this.

I slammed the door of my car shut, yawning and stretching. The door to Sookie's home was open. I raised an eyebrow. Unless she was hanging things out back, and someone else was home, Sookie wouldn't leave that door swinging open. Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out.

'Sookie,' was my first barely coherent thought.

She ran out, her hair flowing behind her. She didn't see me, and threw something into the bushes. I stared, about to call her when out came Rene. At first, I didn't suspect him. I thought they had probably both stumbled across the killer, perhaps Rene had told her to run while he held him off. I opened my mouth to call him, to find out what was happening and to ease the knot in my stomach when he screamed, "Get back here you fucking bitch!"

I lost my voice then. He had no accent, and blood ran down from his forehead. He looked mad as hell and as crazy as the Devil himself as he took off running. I dropped my purse, my keys and my jacket as I ran after them. I'm not particularly fast, but I was keeping up.

That is, until something jumped in front of me in a grey and red blur. It hurt like hell when we collided, and I crumpled to the ground, Rene becoming a blurry figure in the distance, never knowing I was there.

My hair fell into my face as I rolled to the ground and coughed violently, gripping some dirty mud. The figure above me kneeled down.

"I-I'm sorry," they said.

What did this weirdo expect me to say? 'Oh yeah sure, I was just out jogging after my best friend's serial killer and you just slowed me down a whole lot lady. Gee, thanks.' Instead, I wiped the mud from my eyes and cheeks, seeing it fall off and looked at this woman. And then I gasped.

It was _her_. That psychopath who'd been stalking me! And here she was, smiling softly at me. She was eyeing the blood on my forehead with a strange look. Not like she was blood-thirsty…more sad than that. Almost something like empathy.

"Who are you?"

She smiled. "You'll find out who I am soon enough."

* * *

I don't remember how she did it. I was just…out of it. Totally unconscious. When I woke up, I was alone. It was so, so dark. The sky was pitch black, and I stood. Surrounded by trees. I couldn't see _her_, but I sensed her. My leg made a strange 'cracking' sound as I stood, but it didn't hurt.

I walked. Or rather, stumbled. I had no idea where I was, or where Sookie was. My heart thumped as I remembered where she was and who was after her, if she was alive…And then I saw a lake. A very deep lake from the look of it, but then again I couldn't see much through the inky black water.

I rubbed my arms, since it was so cold out tonight, when I turned in time to see the blur. Racing towards me. And then, before I could comprehend it, she had launched herself at me, and we were both flying into the dark, inky black water.


	15. The End

**A/N: **_Argh, the dreaded ending! I hadn't planned to end it right now but eh, gotta do it sometime. Let me know what you think! Thanks for all reviews, favourites and alerts this got since I started!_

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**Chapter Fifteen ****– The End**

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"_Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty."_  
- **Stephen King**

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She wasn't breathing; while air bubbles blew from my mouth as I tried to claw my way to the surface, she floated like a porcelain doll in front of me. She didn't even move at all. Her arms floated in front of her aimlessly. I pushed myself away from her, the water starting to burn my throat. It ached. Even keeping my eyes open was sore after a few seconds. I swam towards the surface.

Thankfully Jason had taught me to swim at the Sunny Side Up camp where we had met Sue Waters. I heard Jason kissed her behind the cabins, which at the time was a big shocking 'Oh-My-God-He-Has-Cooties' sort of thing. Now I hear Sue has _more _than just Cooties. A _lot _more serious and dirty things than Cooties.

I was so close to the surface when she grabbed me.

She took me by my ankle and pulled me down. The shock made my mouth fall open as I took a deep breath through my nose, and I swallowed water. Yet even as I trashed against her and pushed her chest to make her release me, her expression never changed. She just looked permanently sad and sorry for herself.

In the dark water, her fangs popped out in a startlingly white colour that contrasted with the inky blackness surrounding us. Her hand gripped my neck as she bit me. It burned at first, before a small amount of ecstasy poured into my veins. It felt like she was spinning me like a Ballerina does in a pirouette, going faster and faster until we were a blur.

We probably had only been under for two minutes, not even moving, but it felt like hours had passed since I'd had air. She held me even when I stopped pushing against her. My eyes drifted shut against my will. I imagined everyone in Bon Temps hearing I was dead. Those battleaxes who spent their Tuesday nights in Merlotte's bitching about every woman who walked past certainly would talk about Eric as if he was my murderer. Poor Johnny and Kane would be inconsolable. Sookie would be cleaning every single nook and cranny in the roof when she found out, since Sookie doesn't deal with death without cleaning something. Everything would be so shiny.

And Eric. Eric, Eric, Eric.

Oh God poor Eric. He would probably be the one I missed most. What would he do? Would he still miss me in a couple of thousand years? Would someone else…would someone else fill my place instead? I guess I won't ever know.

Suddenly, her fangs ripped from my skin. I screamed, even when we were under water. All that came out were some bubbles. The only sign I was still alive, since I was sinking fast. She was gone, just like that. Someone was pulling me up, and when we broke the surface, I didn't have the energy to even take a breath.

They were talking to me though. "Emilie? Emilie! It's me, Bill! For God's sake, open your eyes, please!"

Bill's temper went wild for a second as he shook me violently. It made my head vibrate, but it worked. I coughed, and he rubbed my back, letting out a triumphant yell as he set me on my side. Sookie was babbling beside me somewhere, but I couldn't see her properly. They weren't sure what to do with me either.

Should they lie me on my left side? Or was it sitting me up?

They tried everything. When they sat me up, rubbing my back and begging me to breathe – yes, because I _was_ just holding my breath for the laugh, Sookie – I could see Eric in the moonlight. I don't think I liked what I saw, either. It was like something from a gothic movie, or at least a horror film. He had that…that woman by the throat, lifting her so high. She was clinging to his arms, choking. Five minutes ago she wasn't even breathing under water, now she was begging him for forgiveness?

"I-I was just so hungry and I-…"

"She is _mine_," he barked, and he grabbed her thigh, before dropping her to the ground on her back. She screeched when he moved his hand to her knee before he completely snapped the bone. It was vicious, but I can't say I was sorry when the blood spurted onto Eric's pale face. He looked up as if he sensed me, and when he saw me he gave me a quick, innocent 'I-didn't-see-you-there' smile before he grabbed her arm and snapped it like a twig.

Sookie was murmuring something into my ear again.

"Just don't look Em, it's almost over I promise you and when it's over I'll get Jace to buy us some of those romantic comedies that Gran always watched with us, and we'll spend the whole _year_ just watching it and doing whatever you want…I-I won't ask you to clean up your clothes off the floor no more, and I'll do all the cooking…Johnny says he can't cook meat because he burns everything but I swear I'll beat him until he does!"

I almost laughed, but couldn't find my breath. My eyes were trained on Eric as he ripped off the lady's arm. He did it with ease, as if she was a Barbie doll whose limb could come off anyway, and was just some plastic stuck together. He didn't even drink her blood or anything, he just ripped her up until he was drenched in blood.

That is when he collapsed to his knees beside me and cried. You know how it goes, and you know that it went dark when I was bitten. Waking up was a whole other story…It was almost as hard.

* * *

The first thing I did not expect to see was Pam, dressed in leather, watching me with a pitiful expression. I hate to say it, but I acted quite dumb when I woke up. I thought I had had a dream. I wondered why so many people were gathered here in my bedroom. When I sat up, focusing, Eric was on my right, rubbing circles in my palm. Bill and Sookie stood away from us, and Johnny and Kane were near Pam, who was eying Kane with a lustful expression.

Johnny had tears down his face – another thing I hate to admit is the first thing I noticed was the scent of humans.

Yet somehow, I still didn't realize I was a newly-dead vampire. It didn't occur to me that this could be _real_.

"Emilie!" Johnny smiled tearfully.

I blinked. "What?"

He stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Are you…okay?"

Eric huffed, as if it was obvious, and both he and Johnny had a small staring competition. Pam sighed and rubbed her hand up and down Kane's muscles, who for once seemed petrified of her and stepped away from her, narrowly dodging her advances. He was looking at me with the same love he always had for me, so that wasn't too bad.

"I feel…fine. Why?"

Eric's hand froze in mine. Was I only the one who didn't know what was going on?

"Emilie, you know what happened don't you?" he whispered.

Sookie must've read my blank mind, because she gasped a little. "Emilie, it was real! That wasn't a dream!"

"It….It wasn't?"

I burst into tears a few seconds later, but Eric was quick to stop me by hugging me. I got blood all over his shirt, but he said nothing. My brother smiled when Eric barked at everyone to leave us.

"Don't you worry Emilie. We still love you no matter what you are."

I sniffled sadly. I guess that was a consolation. I still had Johnny and Kane. I had Bill, and Sookie too. I especially liked the idea of permanently having Eric. He sat beside me and waited for me to stop crying before he sighed, a deep, mournful sigh. He rubbed my arm, which was enough to calm me down easily.

"Do you hate being a vampire, like me?" he asked quietly. His voice was distant, his eyes glazed, and he wasn't looking at me. He really did think I wouldn't want to be with him because of this, I think, but he's never told me what he was thinking at the time. He says he was just worried. Bad sign. Eric never really worries about anything but the very closed people to him.

"With you, I think I could get used to it."

He chuckled a little, but still sounded wistful. "I'll have to teach you Swedish."

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

He rolled his eyes. "You've just been turned, and you're more excited about learning languages."

"I don't want to think about being turned."

He kissed my forehead. "I know."

"What do I do now?"

"You stay with me," he murmured.

"Until?"

"What do you mean 'until'?," he laughed. "Now you become Emilie Northman."

My heart swelled a little. Heck, it didn't beat but Eric made me feel like it did. Emilie Northman. It had a ring to it, I guess. He was smirking, and knew the effect it had on me. Eric left me weak at the knees sometimes.

"Emilie Northman," I repeated.

"Beats Robins."

"Hey, shut up! Robins is a great name. Johnny will still have that name."

"Yeah. Johnny doesn't like me," Eric snorted. "Humans."

"Shut up Eric we're-…" I trailed off into an awkward silence. "Oh. I can't say that anymore, can I? _They _are pretty great though."

"You'll live with me though. Forever," he said as I snuggled down deeper into the blankets.

"Forever," I chorused with a relatively content sigh. "Rule one, I get the bathroom first in the morning. This is awesome. I love you Eric."

"Jag älskar dig också, Emilie (I love you too, Emilie)."

* * *

**The End**


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